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A  LIST  OF  THE  ELSIE  BOOKS  AND 
OTHER  POPULAR  BOOKS 

BY 

MARTHA    FINLEY 


ELSIE  DINSMORE. 

ELSIE'S  HOLIDAYS  AT  ROSELANDS. 
ELSIE'S  GIRLHOOD. 

ELSIE'S  WOMANHOOD. 
ELSIE'S  MOTHERHOOD. 

ELSIE'S  CHILDREN. 
ELSIE'S  WIDOWHOOD. 
GRANDMOTHER  ELSIE. 

ELSIE'S  NEW  RELATIONS. 
ELSIE  AT  NANTUCKET. 
THE  TWO  ELSIES. 

ELSIE'S  KITH  AND  KIN. 
ELSIE'S  FRIENDS  AT  WOODBURN. 
CHRISTMAS  WITH  GRANDMA  ELSIE. 
ELSIE  AND  THE  RAYMONDS. 
ELSIE  YACHTING  WITH  THE  RAYMONDS. 
ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 
ELSIE  AT  ION. 

ELSIE  AT  THE  WORLD'S  FAIR. 
ELSIE'S  JOURNEY  ON  INLAND  WATERS. 
ELSIE  AT  HOME. 
ELSIE  ON  THE  HUDSON. 
ELSIE  IN  THE  SOUTH. 
ELSIE'S  YOUNG  FOLKS. 
ELSIE'S  WINTER  TRIP. 
ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES. 


MILDRED  KEITH. 

MILDRED  AT  ROSELANDS. 
MILDRED'S  MARRIED  LIFE. 
MILDRED  AND  ELSIE. 
MILDRED  AT  HOME. 

MILDRED'S  BOYS  AND  GIRLS. 
MILDRED'S  NEW  DAUGHTER. 


CASFLI A 

SIGNING  THE  CONTRACT  AND  WHAT  IT  COST, 
THE  TRAGEDY  OF  WILD  RIVER  VALLEY. 
OUR  FRED. 

AN  OLD-FASHIONED  BOY. 
WANTED,  A  PEDIGREE. 

THE  THORN  IN  THE  NEST. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION 
AND  AFTER  EVENTS 


BY 

MARTHA  F1NLE> 


NEW  YORK 

DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT*  •.  tqi, 
BV  DODD,  MEAD  «  COMPANV. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION. 


CHAPTER  I. 

CAPTAIX  RAYMOND  went  back  to  the  hotel 
feeling  somewhat  lonely  and  heartsore  over 
the  parting  from  his  eldest  hope,  but  as  he 
entered  .the  private  parlor  where  his  young  wife 
and  most  of  the  party  were,  his  look  and  man 
ner  had  all  their  accustomed  cheeriness. 

He  made  a  pleasant  remark  to  Violet,  fon 
dled  the  little  ones,  and  talked  for  a  few  minutes 
in  his  usual  agreeable  way  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dinsmore  and  the  others ;  then  glancing  about 
the  room,  as  if  in  search  of  someone  or  some 
thing,  asked,  "  Where  are  Lulu  and  Gracie  ?  " 

"Why,  I  thought  they  were  here,"  Violet 
answered  in  some  surprise,  following  the  direc 
tion  of  his  glance.  "  They  seem  to  have  slipped 
out  of  the  room  very  quietly." 

"  I  must  hunt  them  up,  poor  dears  !  for  it  is 
about  time  we  were  starting  for  the  Dolphin" 
he  said,  hastily  leaving  the  room.  A  low  sob 
bing  sound  struck  upon  his  ear  as  he  softly 


5595.; 


2  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

opened  the  door  of  the  room  where  his  little 
girls  had  slept  the  previous  night,  and  there  they 
were  down  on  the  carpet  near  a  window,  Gracie's 
head  in  her  sister's  lap,  Lulu  softly  stroking  the 
golden  curls  and  saying  in  tender  tones,  "  Don't, 
Gracie  dear  ;  oh,  don't  !  It  can't  be  helped, 
you  know  ;  and  we  have  our  dear  papa  and 
Mamma  Vi,  and  the  little  ones  left.  Besides, 
Maxie  will  come  home  again  to  visit  us  one 
of  these  days." 

"  Oh,  but  he'll  never  live  at  home  with  us  any 
more,"  sobbed  Gracie  ;  "  at  least  I'm  afraid  he 
won't ;  and — and  oh,  I  do  love  him  so  !  and  he's 
the  only  big  brother  we  have." 

"  But  we  have  papa,  dear,  dear  papa,  who 
used  to  be  obliged  to  go  away  and  leave  us  ;  but 
we  have  him  all  the  time  now,"  Lulu  replied 
half  chokingly.  "I  wish  we  could  have  them 
both,  but  we  can't,  and  we  both  do  love  papa  the 
best  after  all." 

"And  papa  loves  his  two  dear  little  girls  more 
than  tongue  can  tell,"  the  captain  said  in  tender- 
est  tones,  drawing  near,  bending  down  to  take 
both  in  his  arms  together,  and  kissing  first  one 
and  then  the  other.  "  Be  comforted,  my  dar 
lings,"  he  went  on,  holding  them  close  to  his 
heart  ;  "  we  haven't  lost  our  Maxie  by  any 
means  ;  and  though  I  left  him  feeling  a  trifle 
homesick  and  forlorn,  he  will  get  over  that  in  a 
day  or  two  I  know,  and  greatly  enjoy  the  busi- 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  3 

ness  of  preparing  himself  for  the  life  work  he 
has  freely  chosen." 

"  But,  oh,  papa,  how  he  will  miss  our  lovely 
home,  and  you,  and  all  of  us  !  "  sobbed  Gracie, 
hiding  her  tear-stained  face  on  her  father's 
shoulder. 

"  Not  as  you  would,  my  darling,"  he  replied, 
holding  her  close  and  caressing  her  with  great 
tenderness.  "  Boys  are  different  from  girls,  and 
I  think  our  dear  Maxie  will  soon  feel  very  happy 
there  among  his  mates,  though  he  will,  I  am 
sure,  never  cease  to  love  his  father,  sisters, 
Mamma  Vi,  baby  brother,  and  his  home  with 
them  all." 

"  Papa,  I'm.  thinking  how  he'll  miss  the  pleas 
ant  evenings  at  home — the  good  talks  with  you," 
sobbed  the  little  girl. 

"  Yes,  darling,  but  I  will  tell  you  what  we 
will  do  to  partly,  at  least,  make  up  that  loss  to 
our  dear  boy." 

"  What,  papa  ?  "  she  asked,  lifting  her  head 
and  looking  up  into  his  face,  with  her  own 
brightening  a  little. 

"  Suppose  we  each  keep  a  journal  or  diary, 
telling  everything  that  goes  on  each  day  at 
home,  and  now  and  then  send  them  to  Maxie  ; 
BO  that  he  will  know  all  that  we  are  doing  ?  " 

"  Oli,  what  a  good  thought,  papa ! "  ex 
claimed  Lulu,  giving  him  a  vigorous  hug  and 
kiss.  "And  Maxie  will  write  us  nice,  inter- 


*  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

eating  letters  ;  and  some  day  he'll  come  home 
for  a  visit  and  have  ever  so  much  to  tell  us." 

"  Yes,"  her  father  said,  "  and  I  think  we  will 
have  interesting  letters  from  him  in  the  mean 
time." 

"And  perhaps  I'll  learn  to  like  writing 
letters,  when  it's  just*  to  please  Maxie  and  com 
fort  him,"  said  Grace,  wiping  away  her  tears 
and  trying  to  smile. 

"  I  hope  so,  darling,"  her  father  replied,  be 
stowing  another  kiss  upon  the  sweet  little  tear- 
stained  face.  "  But  now,  my  dears,"  he  added, 
"  put  on  your  hats  ;  it  is  time  to  go  back  to  th« 
Dolphin" 

They  hastened  to  obey,  and  he  led  them  to 
the  parlor,  where  they  found  the  rest  of  the 
party  ready  to  accompany  them  on  board  the 
yacht. 

The  sun  was  setting  as  they  reached  the 
Dolphin's  deck  and  they  found  a  luxurious  re 
past  ready  for  them  to  partake  of  by  the  time 
outdoor  garments  could  be  laid  aside  and  wind- 
tossed  hair  restored  to  order. 

The  captain  missed  the  bright  face  of  his  first 
born  at  the  table,  but,  exerting  himself  for  the 
entertainment  of  the  others,  seemed  even  more 
than  usually  cheery  and  genial,  now  and  then 
indulging  in  some  innocent  jest  that  made  his 
little  girls  laugh  in  spite  of  themselves,  and  at 
length  almost  forget,  for  the  moment,  their  part- 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  5 

ing  from  Max,  and  their  grief  over  the  thought 
that  he  would  no  longer  share  their  lessons  or 
their  sports,  and  would  be  at  home  only  after 
what,  in  the  prospect,  seemed  to  them  a  long, 
long  time;  and  then  but  for  a  little  while. 

On  leaving  the  table  all  gathered  upon  deck. 
There  was  no  wind,  but  the  yacht  had  a  steam 
engine  and  used  her  sails  only  on  occasions  when 
they  could  be  of  service.  Stars  shone  brightly 
in  the  sky  overhead,  but  their  light  was  not 
sufficient  to  give  an  extended  view  on  land  or 
water,  and  as  all  were  weary  with  the  excite 
ment  and  sightseeing  of  the  day,  they  retired 
early  to  their  berths. 

Poor  Grace,  worn  out  with  her  unusual  ex 
citement,  and  especially  the  grief  of  the  parting 
with  Max,  was  asleep  the  instant  her  head 
touched  the  pillow.  Not  so  with  Lulu  ;  her 
loneliness  and  depression  banished  sleep  from 
her  eyes  for  the  time,  and  presently  she  slipped 
from  her  berth,  threw  on  a  warm  dressing-gown, 
and  thrust  her  feet  into  felt  slippers.  The  next 
moment  she  stole  noiselessly  into  the  saloon 
where  her  father  sat  alone  looking  over  an 
evening  paper. 

He  was  not  aware  of  her  entrance  till  she 
stood  close  at  his  side,  her  hand  on  his  shoulder, 
her  eyes  fixed,  with  a  gaze  of  ardent  affection, 
upon  his  face. 

"  Dear  child  1 "  he  said,  looking  up  from  his 


«  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

paper,  and  smiling  affectionately  upon  her  ;  then 
tossing  the  paper  aside  and  putting  an  arm 
about  her  waist,  he  drew  her  to  his  knee  and 
pressed  fatherly  kisses  upon  lip  and  cheek 
and  brow,  asking  tenderly  if  anything  was 
wrong  with  her  that  she  had  come  in  search  of 
him  when  he  supposed  her  to  be  already  in 
bed  and  sound  asleep. 

•'  I'm  not  sick,  papa,"  she  said  in  reply  ;  "  but 
oh,  I  miss  Maxie  so  !  "  The  words  were  almost 
a  sob,  and  she  clung  about  her  father's  neck, 
hiding  her  face  on  his  shoulder. 

"  I,  too,  miss  my  boy  more  than  words  can 
tell,"  he  replied,  stroking  her  hair  with  gently 
caressing  touch,  and  she  was  sure  his  tones 
trembled  a  little  with  the  pain  of  the  thought  of 
Max  left  alone  among  strangers  ;  "  but  I  thank 
God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  that  I  have  by  no 
means  lost  my  eldest  son,  while  I  still  have 
another  one  and  three  dear  daughters  to  add 
to  my  happiness  in  our  sweet  home." 

"  I  do  want  to  add  to  it,  you  dear,  dear,  good 
papa  !  "  she  said,  hugging  and  kissing  him  over 
and  over  again.  "  Oh,  I  wish  I  was  a  better 
girl  for  your  sake,  so  that  my  wrong-doing  would 
never  give  you  pain  ! " 

"  I  think — and  am  very  happy  in  the 
thought — that  you  are  improving,"  he  said,  re 
peating  his  caresses  ;  "  and  it  is  a  great  comfort 
to  me,"  he  continued,  "  that  my  little  girls  need 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  7 

not  be  sent  away  from  home  and  their  father  to 
be  educated." 

"  To  me  also,  papa,"  she  returned.  "  I  am 
very  thankful  that  I  may  live  with  my  dear 
father  always  while  we  are  spared  to  each  other. 
I  don't  mean  to  ever  go  away  from  you,  papa, 
but  to  stay  with  you  always,  to  wait  on  you  and 
do  everything  I  can  to  be  a  great  help,  comfort, 
and  blessing  to  you  ;  even  when  I'm  grown  up 
to  womanhood." 

"Ah!"  he  returned,  again  smoothing  her 
hair  caressingly  and  smiling  down  into  her 
eyes  ;  then  holding  her  close,  "I  shall  be  very- 
glad  to  keep  you  as  long  as  you  may  prefer  life 
with  me,  my  own  dear,  dear  child,"  he  said  in 
tender  tones.  "  I  look  upon  my  dear  eldest 
daughter  as  one  of  the  great  blessings  my 
Heavenly  Father  has  bestowed  upon  me,  and 
which  I  hope  he  may  spare  to  me  as  long  as  I 
live." 

"Papa,  I'm  so,  so  glad  you  love  me  so 
dearly  !  "  she  exclaimed,  lifting  to  his  eyes  full 
of  love  and  joy  ;  "  and  oh,  I  do  love  you  so  !  I 
want  to  be  a  great  blessing  to  you  as  long  as 
we  both  live." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it,  my  darling,"  he  replied. 
"  I  doubt  neither  your  desire  nor  purpose  to  be 
such." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  do  really  long  to  be  the  very 
greatest  of  comforts  to  you,  and  yet,"  she  sighed, 


ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

u  I  have  such  a  bad  temper  you  know,  papa,  I'm 
so  wilful  too,  that — that  I'm  afraid — almost 
sure,  indeed — I'll  be  naughty  again  one  of  these 
days  and  give  you  the  pain  of  punishing  me  for 
it." 

"  That  would  grieve  me  very  much,  but  would 
not  diminish  my  love  for  you,"  he  said  ;  "  nor 
yours  for  me,  I  think." 

"No,  indeed,  papa  !  "  she  exclaimed,  creeping 
closer  into  his  embrace,  "  because  I  know  that 
when  you  have  to  punish  me  in  any  way  it 
makes  you  very,  very  sorry." 

"  It  does  indeed  !  "  he  responded. 

"  Papa,"  she  sighed,  "  I'm  always  dreadfully 
sorry  and  ashamed  after  one  of  my  times  of  be 
ing  disobedient,  wilful,  and  ill-tempered,  and  I 
am  really  thankful  to  you  for  taking  so  much 
pains  and  trouble  to  make  a  better  girl  of 
me." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it,  daughter,"  he  answered  ; 
"  it  is  a  long  while  now  since  I  have  had  any 
occasion  to  punish  you,  and  your  conduct  has 
rarely  called  for  even  so  much  as  a  reproof." 

She  gave  him  a  glad,  grateful  look,  an  em 
brace  of  ardent  affection,  then,  laying  her  cheek 
*o  his,  "  You  dear,  dear  papa,  you  have  made 
me  feel  very  happy,"  she  said,  "  and  I'm  sure 
I  am  much  happier  than  I  should  be  if  you  had 
let  me  go  on  indulging  my  bad  temper  and  wil- 
f  ulness.  Oh,  it's  so  nice  to  be  able  to  run  to  my 


. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  9 

dear  father  whenever  I  want  to,  and  always  to  be 
so  kindly  received  that  I  can't  feel  any  doubt  that 
he  loves  me  dearly.  Ah,  how  I  pity  poor  Maxie 
that  he  can't  see  you  for  weeks  or  months  !  " 

"And  don't  you  pity  papa  a  little  that  he 
can't  see  Maxie  ?  "  he  asked,  with  a  smile  and  a 
sigh. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  yes  indeed !  I'm  so  sorry  for  you, 
papa,  and  I  mean  to  do  all  I  can  to  supply  his 
place.  What  do  you  suppose  Maxie  is  doing 
just  now,  papa  ?  " 

"  Doubtless  he  is  in  his  room  preparing  his 
lessons  for  to-morrow.  The  bugle-call  for  even 
ing  study -hour  sounds  at  half-past  seven,  and 
the  lads  must  be  busy  with  their  books  till  half- 
after  nine." 

He  drew  out  his  watch,  and  glancing  at  its 
face,  "  Ah,  it  is  just  nine  o'clock,"  he  said. 
"  Kiss  me  good-night,  daughter,  and  go  back  to 
your  berth." 


CHAPTER  H. 

MAX  was  in  his  room  at  the  Acadt-my,  busy 
with  his  tasks,  trying  determinately  to  forget 
homesickness  by  giving  his  whole  mind  to 
them,  and  succeeding  fairly  well.  Very  desir 
ous,  very  determined  was  the  lad  to  acquit  him 
self  to  the  very  best  of  his  ability  that  lie 
might  please  and  honor  both  his  Heavenly 
Father  and  his  earthly  one. 

By  the  time  the  welcome  sound  of  gun-fire 
and  tattoo  announced  that  the  day's  work 
was  over  he  felt  fully  prepared  for  the  morrow's 
recitations.  But  he  was  in  no  mood  for  play. 
The  quiet  that  had  reigned  through  the  build 
ing  for  the  last  two  hours  was  suddenly  broken 
in  upon  by  sounds  of  mirth  and  jollity — merry 
boyish  voices  talking,  singing,  some  accom 
panying  themselves  with  the  twang  of  a  banjo 
or  the  tinkle  of  a  guitar  ;  but  Max,  closing  and 
putting  his  book  aside,  kept  his  seat,  his  elbow 
on  the  desk,  his  head  on  his  hand,  while  with  a 
far-away  look  in  his  dark  eyes,  he  indulged  in  a 
waking  dream. 

He  seemed  to  see  the  Dolphin  steaming  down 
the  bay,  his  father,  perhaps,  sitting  in  the  saloo* 
10 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  11 

•with  the  other  grown  folks  (the  younger  ones 
would  be  pretty  sure  to  have  retired  to  their 
state-rooms),  and  thinking  and  speaking  of  his 
absent  son.  Or,  it  might  be,  pacing  the  deck 
alone,  his  heart  going  up  in  prayer  to  God  for 
his  first-born — his  "  might  and  the  beginning  of 
his  strength," — that  he  might  be  kept  from  sin 
and  every  danger  and  evil  and  enabled  to  prove 
himself  a  brave,  true  follower  of  Christ,  never 
ashamed  or  afraid  to  show  his  colors  and  let  it 
be  known  to  all  with  whom  he  had  to  do  that 
he  was  a  disciple,  a  servant  of  the  dear  Lord 
Jesus. 

"  Lord,  help  me  ;  help  me  to  be  brave  and 
faithful  and  true,"  was  the  silent  petition  that 
went  up  from  the  boy's  heart. 

"  Homesick,  bub  ?  "  asked  a  boyish  voice,  in 
mocking  tones.  "  I  believe  most  of  the  fellows 
are  just  at  the  first,  but  they  get  over  it  after  a 
bit  without  much  doctoring." 

"  I'm  inclined  to  think  it  is  not  a  dangerous 
kind  of  ailment,"  returned  Max,  in  a  pleasant 
tone,  lifting  his  head  and  turning  toward  his 
companion  with  a  smile  that  seemed  rather 
forced.  "However,  I  was  thinking  not  of 
home,  exactly,  but  the  homefolks  who  are  just 
at  present  aboard  my  father's  yacht  and  steam 
ing  down  the  bay." 

It  was  only  by  a  great  effort  he  repressed  a 
sigh  with  the  concluding  words. 


12  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"That's  a  handsome  yacht  and  about  the 
largest  I  ever  saw,"  was  the  next  remark  of  his 
room-mate,  a  lad — Benjamin  Hunt  by  name — 
of  about  the  same  age  as  himself,  not  par 
ticularly  handsome  but  with  a  good,  honest 
face. 

"  Yes,  and  a  splendid  sailer,"  returned  Max, 
with  enthusiasm.  "  Papa  bought  her  this  sum 
mer  and  we've  had  a  jolly  good  time  sailing  or 
steaming  (sometimes  one  and  again  the  other, 
the  Dolphin  has  both  sails  and  engines)  along 
the  coast  and  a  short  distance  out  to  sea." 

"  Had  a  good,  safe  captain  ? "  Hunt  asked, 
with  a  quizzical  smile. 

"  My  father,  a  retired  naval  officer  ;  there 
could  be  none  better,"  returned  Max,  straight 
ening  himself  slightly,  while  the  color  deepened 
on  his  cheek. 

"  Yes  ;  I  don't  wonder  you  are  proud  of  him," 
laughed  Hunt.  "  I  happened  to  see  him  when 
he  brought  you  here,  and  I  must  say  I  thought 
he  had  a  fine  military  bearing  and  was — well,  I 
think  I  might  say  one  of  the  handsomest  men  I 
ever  saw." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Max  heartily,  glancing  up 
at  Hunt  with  a  gratified  smile.  "I  suppose 
being  so  fond  of  him  I  may  not  be  a  competent 
judge,  but  to  me  my  father  seems  the  best,  the 
noblest,  and  the  handsomest  man  that  ever 
lived." 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  13 

*  Didn't  force  you  to  come  here  against  your 
•will,  eh  ?  "  queried  Hunt  jestingly. 

"  No,  indeed  !  he  only  let  me  come  because  I 
wanted  to.  I  think  he  would  have  been  glad  if 
I  had  chosen  the  ministry,  but  you  see  I  don't 
think  I  have  any  talent  in  that  line,  and  I  inherit 
a  love  for  the  sea,  and  papa  says  a  man  can  do 
best  in  the  profession  or  business  that  is  most  to 
his  taste,  so  that  perhaps  I  may  be  more  useful 
as  a  naval  officer  than  I  could  be  in  the 
ministry." 

"  Especially  in  case  of  war,  and  if  you  turn 
out  a  good  and  capable  commander,"  returned 
Hunt,  tossing  up  a  ball  and  catching  it  as  it 
fell.  "  I  sometimes  think  I'd  like  nothing 
better  ;  a  fellow  would  have  a  chance  to  dis 
tinguish  himself,  such  as  he  could  never  hope 
for  in  time  of  peace." 

"  Yes  ;  and  if  such  a  thing  should  happen  I 
hope  it  will  be  when  I'm  ready  to  take  part  in 
the  defence  of  my  country,"  said  Max,  his  cheek 
flushing  and  his  eyes  kindling,  "  but  war  is  an 
awful  thing  considering  all  the  killing  and 
maiming,  to  say  nothing  of  the  destruction  of 
property  ;  and  I  hope  our  country  will  never 
be  engaged  in  another.  But  excuse  me,"  he 
added,  opening  his  Bible,  "I  see  we  have 
scarcely  fifteen  minutes  now  before  taps  will 
sound." 

At  that  Hunt  moved  away  to  his  own  sid« 


U  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

of  the  room,  from  whence  he  watched  Max 
furtively,  a  mocking  smile  on  his  lips. 

Max  was  uncomfortably  conscious  of  it,  but 
tried  to  ignore  it  and  give  his  thoughts  to  what 
he  was  reading.  Presently,  closing  his  book  he 
knelt  and  silently  offered  up  his  evening  prayer, 
asking  forgiveness  of  all  his  sins,  strength  to 
resist  temptation,  and  never  be  afraid  or  ashamed 
to  own  himself  a  follower  of  Jesus,  his  loving 
disciple,  his  servant,  whose  greatest  desire  was 
to  know  and  do  the  Master's  will  ;  and  very 
earnestly  he  prayed  that  no  evil  might  befall  his 
dearly  loved  and  honored  father,  his  sisters  or 
brother,  Mamma  Vi,or  any  of  those  he  loved  ; 
that  they  might  be  taken  safely  through  all 
their  journeying,  and  he  permitted  to  see  them 
all  again  when  the  right  time  should  come  ;  and 
having  committed  both  them  and  himself  to  the 
watchful  care  of  his  Heavenly  Father,  he  rose 
from  his  knees  and  began  his  preparations  for 
bed. 

"  Well,  sonny,  I  hope  you  will  sleep  soundly 
and  well  after  saying  your  prayers  like  the 
goodest  of  little  boys,"  sneered  Hunt. 

"  I  shall  sleep  none  tile  worse,"  returned 
Max  pleasantly. 

"I'll  bet  not  a  bit  better  than  I  shall  without 
going  through  any  such  baby-like  perfor 
mance." 

"  God  is  very  good  and  often  takes  care  of 


ELSIE'S  VACATION,  15 

those  who  don't  ask  him  to,"  said  Max  ;  "  but  I 
don't  think  they  have  any  right  to  expect  it ; 
also  I  am  sure  I  should  be  shamefully  ungrate 
ful  if  I  were  to  lie  down  for  my  night's  rest 
without  a  word  of  thanks  to  him  for  his  pro 
tecting  care  over  me  and  mine  through  the  day 
that  is  just  past.  As  to  its  being  a  baby- like 
performance,  it  is  one  in  which  some  of  the 
greatest,  as  well  as  best  men,  have  indulged. 
Washington  was  a  man  of  prayer.  So  was 
General  Daniel  Morgan — that  grand  revolution 
ary  officer  who  whipped  Tarleton  so  completely 
at  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens.  There  was  Mac- 
donough.  also,  who  gained  that  splendid  victory 
over  the  British  on  Lake  Champlain  in  the  war 
of  1812-14.  Have  you  forgotten  that  just 
before  the  fight  began,  after  he  had  put 
springs  on  his  cables,  had  the  decks  cleared,  and 
everything  was  ready  for  action,  with  his- 
officers  and  men  around  him,  he  knelt  down  near 
one  of  his  heaviest  guns  and  in  a  few  words 
asked  God  to  help  him  in  the  coming  struggle  ? 
He  might  well  do  that,  because,  as  you  know  of 
course,  we  were  in  the  right,  fighting  against 
oppression  and  wrongs  fit  to  rouse  the  indig 
nation  of  the  most  patient  and  forbearing  of 
mortals." 

"That's  a  fact !  "  interrupted  Hunt.  "  Ameri 
cans  have  always  been  forbearing  at  the  start  j 
brt  let  them  get  once  thoroughly  roused  ami 


36  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

they  make  things  hot  enough  for  the  aggres 
sors." 

"  So  they  do,"  said  Max,  "  and  so  I  think  they 
always  will ;  I  hope  so,  anyhow  ;  for  I  don't  be 
lieve  it's  right  for  any  nation  to  allow  any  of 
its  people  to  be  so  dreadfully  wronged  and  ill- 
treated  as  thousands  of  our  poor  sailors  were, 
by  the  English,  before  the  war_of  1812  taught 
them  better.  I  don't  believe  the  mass  of  the 
English  people  approved,  but  they  couldn't 
keep  their  aristocracy — who  hated  republican 
ism,  and  wanted  always  to  continue  superior  in 
station  and  power  to  the  mass  of  their  country 
men  and  ours — from  oppressing  and  abusing  our 
poor  sailors,  impressing,  flogging,  and  ill-treat 
ing  them  in  various  ways,  and  to  such  a  degree 
that  it  makes  one's  blood  boil  in  reading  or 
thinking  of  it.  And  I  think  it's  right  enough 
for  one  to  be  angry  and  indignant  at  such 
wrongs  to  others." 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  said  Hunt ;  "  and  Ameri 
cans  always  will  resist  oppression — of  them 
selves  or  their  weaker  brethren — and  I  glory  in 
the  fact.  What  a  fight  that  was  of  Macdon- 
ough's  !  Do  you  remember  the  incident  of  the 
gamecock  ?  " 

"  No  ;  what  was  it  ?  " 

"It  seems  that  one  of  the  shots  from  the 
British  vessel  Linnet  demolished  a  hencoop  on 
the  deck  of  the  Saratoga,  releasing  this  game- 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  17 

cock,  and  that  lie  flew  to  a  gun-slide,  where  he 
alighted,  then  clapped  his  wings  and  crowed 
lustily. 

"  That  delighted  our  sailors,  who  accepted 
the  incident  as  an  omen  of  the  victory  that 
crowned  their  arms  before  the  fight  was  over. 
They  cheered  and  felt  their  courage  strength 
ened." 

"  Good  ! "  said  Max,  "  that  cock  was  at  better 
business  than  the  fighting  he  had  doubtless  been 
brought  up  to." 

'*  Yes  ;  so  say  I : 

"  0  Johnny  Bull,  my  joe  John, 

Behold  on  Lake  Champlain, 
With  more  than  equal  force,  John, 

You  tried  your  fist  again ; 
But  the  cock  saw  how  'twas  going, 

And  cried  '  Cock-a-doodle-doo,' 
And  Macdonough  was  victorious, 

Johnny  Bull,  my  joe  I " 

"Pretty  good,"  laughed  Max.  "But  there 
are  the  taps  ;  so  good-night." 


CHAPTER  III. 

LULU  woke  early  the  next  morning  and  was 
dressed  and  on  deck  before  any  other  of  the 
Dolphin's  passengers.  Day  had  dawned  and 
the  eastern  sky  was  bright  with  purple,  orange, 
and  gold,  heralding  the  near  approach  of  the 
sun  which,  just  as  she  set  her  foot  on  the  deck, 
suddenly  showed  his  face  above  the  restless 
waves,  making  a  golden  pathway  across  them. 

"Oh,  how  beautiful  !"  was  her  involuntary 
exclamation.  Then  catching  sight  of  her  father 
standing  with  his  back  toward  her,  and  appar 
ently  absorbed  in  gazing  upon  the  sunrise,  she 
hastened  to  his  side,  caught  his  hand  in  hers,  and 
carried  it  to  her  lips  with  a  glad,  "  Good-morn 
ing,  you  dear  papa." 

"  Ah !  good-morning,  my  darling,"  he  re 
turned,  bending  down  to  press  a  kiss  on  the 
bright,  upturned  face. 

"  Such  a  lovely  morning,  papa,  isn't  it  ?  "  she 
said,  standing  with  her  hand  fast  clasped  in  his, 
but  turning  her  eyes  again  upon  sea  and  sky. 
"  But  where  are  we  now  ?  Almost  at  Fortress 
Monroe  ?  " 

"Look  and  tell  me  what  you  see,"  was  his 

18 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  19 

smiling  rejoinder,  as,  with  a  hand  on  each  of  her 
shoulders,  he  turned  her  about  so  that  she  caught 
the  view  from  the  other  side  of  the  vessel. 

"  O  papa,  is  that  it  ?  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Why, 
we're  almost  there,  aren't  we  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  we  will  reach  our  anchorage  within  a 
few  minutes." 

"  Oh,  are  we  going  to  stop  to  see  the  old  fort, 
papa  ?  "  she  asked  eagerly. 

"  I  think  we  are,"  was  his  smiling  rejoinder. 
"  But  you  don't  expect  to  find  in  it  a  relic  of 
the  Revolution,  do  you  ?  "  he  asked  laughingly, 
pinching  her  cheek,  then  bending  down  to  kiss 
again  the  rosy  face  upturned  to  his. 

"  Why  yes,  papa  ;  I  have  been  thinking  there 
must  have  been  a  fight  there.  Wasn't  that  the 
case  ?  " 

"  No,  daughter ;  the  fortress  was  not  there  at 
that  time." 

"  Was  it  in  the  war  of  1812-14,  then,  papa?" 

"No,"  he  returned,  smiling  down  on  her. 
"  The  building  of  Fortress  Monroe  was  not  begun 
until  1817.  However,  there  was  a  small  fort 
built  on  Point  Comfort  in  1630  ;  also,  shortly  be 
fore  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  Count  De  Grasse 
had  some  fortifications  thrown  up  to  protect  hia 
troops  in  landing  to  take  part  in  that  affair." 

But  just  then  the  talk  was  interrupted  by 
the  coming  on  deck  of  one  after  another  of  their 
party  and  the  exchange  of  morning  greetings  j 


20  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

then  followed  the  interest  and  excitement  of  the 
approach  to  the  fortress  and  anchoring  in  its 
vicinity. 

Next  came  the  call  to  breakfast.  But  natur 
ally,  and  quite  to  Lulu's  satisfaction,  the  talk  at 
the  table  turned  upon  the  building  of  the  fort, 
its  history  and  that  of  the  adjacent  country, 
particularly  Hampton,  two  and  a  half  miles 
distant. 

The  captain  pointed  it  out  to  them  all  as  they 
stood  upon  the  deck  shortly  afterward. 

"  Which  is  Old  Point  Comfort,  papa  ?  "  asked 
Grace. 

"  That  sandy  promontory  on  the  extremity  of 
which  stands  Fortress  Monroe,"  he  answered. 
"  Yonder,  on  the  opposite  side,  is  Point  Wil- 
loughby,  the  two  forming  the  mouth  of  the  James 
River  ;  and  these  are  the  Rip  Raps  between  tho 
two.  You  see  that  there  the  ocean  tides  and  the 
currents  of  the  river  meet  and  cause  a  constant 
ripple.  There  is  a  narrow  channel  of  deep 
water  through  the  bar,  but  elsewhere  between 
the  capes  it  is  shallow. 

"  Beyond  the  Rip  Raps  we  see  the  spacious 
harbor  which  is  called  Hampton  Roads.  It  is 
go  large  that  great  navies  might  ride  there  to 
gether." 

"  And  I  think  some  have  ridden  there  in  our 
wars  with  England  ?  "  remarked  Rosie,  half  in 
quiringly. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  21 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  replied  the  captain  ; 
*  that  happened  in  both  the  Revolution  and  the 
last  war  with  England. 

"In  October,  1775,  Lord  Dunmore,  the  British 
governor  of  Virginia, — who  had,  however,  ab 
dicated  some  months  earlier  by  fleeing  on  board  a 
man-of-war,  the  Fowey, — driven  by  his  fears,  and 
his  desire  for  revenge,  to  destroy  the  property 
of  the  patriots,  sent  Captain  Squires,  of  the 
British  navy,  with  six  tenders,  into  Hampton 
Creek. 

"He  reached  there  before  the  arrival  of  Colo 
nel  Woodford — who,  with  a  hundred  Culpepper 
men,  had  been  sent  to  protect  the  people  of 
Hampton — and  sent  armed  men  in  boats  to  burn 
the  town,  protecting  them  by  a  furious  can 
nonade  from  the  guns  of  the  tenders. 

"  But  they  were  baffled  in  the  carrying  out  of 
their  design  ;  being  driven  off  by  Virginia  rifle 
men,  concealed  in  the  houses.  Excellent  marks 
men  those  Virginians  were,  and  picked  off  so 
many  of  the  advancing  foe  that  they  compelled 
them  to  take  ignominious  flight  to  their  boats 
and  return  to  the  vessels,  which  then  had  to 
withdraw  beyond  the  reach  of  the  rifles  to  await 
reinforcements." 

"  What  is  a  tender,  papa  ? "  asked  Grace,  aa 
her  father  paused  inrhis  narrative. 

"  A  small  vessel  that  attends  on  a  larger  one 
to  convey  intelligence  and  supply  stores,"  ho 


22  ISLSIE'S  VACATION. 

replied];  then  went  on  with  his  account  of 
Dunmore's  repulse. 

a  Woodford  and  his  men  reached  Hampton 
about  daybreak  of  the  succeeding  morning.  At 
sunrise  they  saw  the  hostile  fleet  approaching  ; 
it  came  so  near  as  to  be  within  rifle  shot,  and 
Woodford  bade  his  men  fire  with  caution,  tak 
ing  sure  aim.  They  obeyed  and  picked  off  so 
many  from  every  part  of  the  vessels  that  the  sea 
men  were  soon  seized  with  a  great  terror.  The 
cannons  were  silenced, — the  men  who  worked 
them  being  shot  down, — and  their  commander 
presently  ordered  a  retreat  ;  but  that  was  diffi 
cult  to  accomplish,  for  any  one  seen  at  the  helm, 
or  aloft,  adjusting  the  sails,  was  sure  to  become 
a  target  for  the  sharpshooters  ;  in  consequence 
many  of  the  sailors  retreated  to  the  holds  of 
the  vessels,  and  when  their  commander  ordered 
them  out  on  the  dangerous  duty,  refused  to 
obey. 

"  The  victory  for  the  Americans  was  com 
plete  ;  before  the  fleet  could  escape,  the  Hamp 
ton  people,  with  Woodford  and  his  soldiers,  had 
••sunk  five  vessels." 

"  And  such  a  victory  ! "  exclaimed  Rosie,  in  an 
exultant  tone. 

"  Yes,"  the  captain  said,  smiling  at  her  en 
thusiasm. 

"Were  the  houses  they  fired  on  the  very 
ones  that  are  there  now,  papa  ?  "  asked  Lulu. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  23 

"  Some  few  of  them,"  he  replied.  "  Nearly 
all  were  burned  by  Magruder  in  the  Civil  War  ; 
among  them  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church,  which 
was  built  probably  about  1700.  Before  the 
Revolution  it  bore  the  royal  arms  carved  upon 
its  steeple  ;  but  soon  after  the  Declaration  of 
Independence — so  it  is  said — that  steeple  was 
struck  by  lightning  and  those  badges  of  royalty 
were  hurled  to  the  ground." 

"Just  as  the  country  was  shaking  off  the 
yoke  they  represented,"  laughed  Rosie.  "  A 
good  omen,  wasn't  it,  Brother  Levis  ?" 

"  So  it  would  seem,  viewed  in  the  light  of 
after  events,"  he  answered  with  a  smile. 

"  Papa,  can't  we  visit  Hampton  ?  "  asked  Lulu 
eagerly. 

"  Yes,  if  you  would  all  like  to  do  so,"  was  the 
reply,  in  an  indulgent  tone  and  with  an  inquir 
ing  glance  at  the  older  members  of  the  party. 

Everyone  seemed  to  think  it  would  be  a 
pleasant  little  excursion,  especially  as  the  Dol 
phin  would  carry  them  all  the  way  to  the  town  ; 
but  first  they  must  visit  the  fortress.  They  did 
not.  however,  set  out  thither  immediately,  but 
remained  on  deck  a  little  longer  gazing  about 
and  questioning  the  captain  in  regard  to  the 
points  of  interest. 

"  Papa,"  asked  Grace,  pointing  in  a  southerly 
direction,  "is  that  another  fort  yonder?" 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  that  is  Fort  Wool     It 


24  ELSIE "8  VACATION. 

is  a  mile  distant,  and  with  Fortress  Monroe 
defends  Hampton  Roads,  the  Goeport  navy  yard, 
and  Norfolk." 

"  They  both  have  soldiers  in  them  ?  "  she  said 
inquiringly. 

"Yes,  daughter  ;  both  contain  barracks  for 
soldiers,  and  Fortress  Monroe  has  also  an  arsenal, 
a  United  States  school  of  artillery,  chapel,  and, 
besides  the  barracks  for  the  soldiers,  storehouses 
and  other  buildings,  and  covers  eighty  acres  of 
ground." 

"  And  when  was  it  finished,  papa  ?  How  long 
did  it  take  to  build  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  not  finished  yet,"  he  answered,  "  and 
has  already  cost  nearly  three  million  dollars. 
It  is  an  irregular  hexagon — that  is  has  six  sides 
and  six  angles — surrounded  by  a  tide-water 
ditch  eight  feet  deep  at  high  water." 

"I  see  trees  and  flower  gardens,  papa,"  she 
remarked. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "there  are  a  good  many  trees, 
standing  singly  and  in  groves.  The  flower 
gardens  belong  to  the  officers'  quarters.  Now, 
if  you  will  make  yourselves  ready  for  the  trip, 
ladies,  Mr.  Dinsmore,  and  any  of  you  younger 
ones  who  care  to  go,"  he  added,  smoothing 
Grace's  golden  curls  with  caressing  hand  and 
smiling  down  into  her  face,  "we  will  take  a 
nearer  view." 

No  one  felt  disposed  to  decline  the  invita- 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  25 

tion  and  they  were  soon  on  their  way  to  the 
fortress. 

It  did  not  take  very  long  to  look  at  all  they 
cared  to  see  ;  then  they  returned  to  their  vessel, 
weighed  anchor,  and  passed  through  the  narrow 
channel  of  the  Rip  Raps  into  the  spacious  harbor 
of  Hampton  Roads. 

It  was  a  lovely  day  and  all  were  on  deck,  en 
joying  the  breeze  and  the  prospect  on  both  land 
and  water. 

"Papa,"  said  Lulu,  "  you  haven't  told  us  yet 
what  happened  here  in  the  last  war  with  Eng 
land." 

"No,"  he  said.  "They  attacked  Hampton 
by  both  land  and  water,  a  force  of  two  thousand 
five  hundred  men  under  General  Beckwith 
landing  at  Old  Point  Comfort,  and  marching 
from  there  against  the  town,  while  at  the  same 
time  Admiral  Cockburn  assailed  it  from  the 
water. 

"  The  fortification  at  Hampton  was  but  slight 
and  guarded  by  only  four  hundred  and  fifty 
militiamen.  Feeling  themselves  too  weak  t» 
repel  an  attack  by  such  overwhelming  odds,  they 
retired,  and  the  town  was  given  up  to  pillage." 

"  Didn't  they  do  any  fighting  at  all,  papa  ?  " 
asked  Lulu  in  a  tone  of  regret  and  mortification. 
"  I  know  Americans  often  did  fight  when  their 
numbers  were  very  much  smaller  than  those  of 
the  enemy." 


26  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  That  is  quite  true,"  he  said,  with  a  gleam  of 
patriotic  pride  in  his  eye,  "  and  sometimes  won 
the  victory  in  spite  of  the  odds  against  them. 
That  thing  had  happened  only  a  few  days  pre 
viously  at  Craney  Island,  and  the  British  were 
doubtless  smarting  under  a  sense  of  humiliating 
defeat  when  they  proceeded  to  the  attack  of 
Hampton." 

"  How  many  of  the  British  were  there,  Cap 
tain  ? "  asked  Evelyn  Leland.  "  I  have  for 
gotten,  though  I  know  they  far  outnumbered 
the  Americans." 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  as  I  have  said  there  were 
about  four  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  Americans, 
while  Beckwith  had  twenty-five  hundred  men 
and  was  assisted  by  the  flotilla  of  Admiral 
Cockburn,  consisting  of  armed  boats  and  barges, 
which  appeared  suddenly  off  Blackbeard's 
Point  at  the  mouth  of  Hampton  Creek,  at  the 
same  time  that  Beckwith's  troops  moved 
stealthily  forward  through  the  woods  under 
cover  of  the  Mohawk's  guns. 

"  To  draw  the  attention  of  the  Americans  from 
the  land  force  coming  against  them  was  Cock- 
burn's  object,  in  which  he  was  partly  successful, 
his  flotilla  being  seen  first  by  the  American 
patrols  at  Mill  Creek. 

"  They  gave  the  alarm,  arousing  the  camp,  and 
aline  of  battle  was  formed.  But  just  then  some 
one  came  in  haste  to  tell  them  of  the  large  land 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  27 

force  coming  against  the  town  from  the  rear, 
and  presently  in  the  woods  and  grain  fields 
could  be  seen  the  scarlet  uniforms  of  the  British 
and  the  green  ones  of  the  French." 

"  Oh,  how  frightened  the  people  in  the  town 
must  have  been  !  "  exclaimed  Grace.  "  I  should 
think  they'd  all  have  run  away." 

"  Most  of  them  did,"  replied  her  father  ;  "  but 
some  sick  and  feeble  ones  had  to  stay  behind — 
others  also  in  whose  care  they  were — and  trust 
to  the  supposed  humanity  of  the  British  ;  a  vain 
reliance  it  proved,  at  least  so  far  as  Admiral 
Cockburn  was  concerned.  He  gave  up  the  town 
to  pillage  and  rapine,  allowing  the  doing  of  such 
deeds  as  have  consigned  his  name  to  well- 
merited  infamy. 

"  But  to  return  to  my  story  :  Major  Crutch- 
field,  the  American  commander,  resolved  that  he 
and  his  four  hundred  and  fifty  men  would  do 
what  they  could  to  defend  the  town.  They 
were  encamped  on  an  estate  called  *  Little  Eng 
land,'  a  short  distance  southwest  of  Hampton, 
and  had  a  heavy  battery  of  seven  guns,  the 
largest  an  eighteen-pounder  cannon. 

"Major  Crutchfield  was  convinced  that  the  in 
tention  of  the  British  was  to  make  their  princi 
pal  attack  in  his  rear,  and  that  Cockburn's  was 
only  a  feint  to  draw  his  attention  from  the 
other.  So  he  sent  Captain  Servant  out  with  his 
rifle  company  to  ambush  on  the  road  by  which 


28  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

Beckwith's  troops  were  approaching,  ordering 
him  to  attack  and  check  the  enemy.  Then 
when  Cockburn  came  round  Blackbeard's  Point 
and  opened  fire  on  the  American  camp  he  re 
ceived  so  warm  a  welcome  from  Crutchfield's 
heavy  'battery  that  he  was  presently  glad  to 
escape  for  shelter  behind  the  Point,  and  content 
himself  with  throwing  an  occasional  shot  or 
rocket  into  the  American  camp. 

"  Beckwith's  troops  had  reached  rising  ground 
and  halted  for  breakfast  before  the  Americans 
discovered  them.  When  that  happened  Ser 
geant  Parker,  with  a  field-piece  and  a  few 
picked  men,  went  to  the  assistance  of  Captain 
Servant  and  his  rifle  company,  already  lying  in 
ambush. 

"  Parker  had  barely  time  to  reach  his  position 
and  plant  his  cannon  when  the  British  were 
seen  rapidly  advancing. 

"  At  the  head  of  the  west  branch  of  Hampton 
Creek,  at  the  Celey  road,  there  was  a  large  cedar 
tree  behind  which  Servant's  advanced  corps — 
Lieutenant  Hope  and  two  other  men — had 
stationed  themselves,  and  just  as  the  British 
crossed  the  creek — the  French  column  in  front, 
led  by  the  British  sergeant  major — they  opened 
a  deadly  fire  upon  them.  A  number  were  killed, 
among  them  the  sergeant  major — a  large,  pow 
erful  man. 

"  This  threw  the  British  ranks  into  great  con« 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  29 

fusion  for  the  time,  and  the  main  body  of  our 
riflemen  delivered  their  fire,  killing  the  brave 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Williams  of  the  British 
army.  But  the  others  presently  recovered 
from  their  panic  and  pushed  forward,  while 
our  riflemen,  being  so  few  in  number,  were 
compelled  to  fall  back. 

"But  Crutchfield  had  heard  the  firing,  and 
hastened  forward  with  nearly  all  his  force, 
leaving  Pryor  and  his  artillerymen  behind  to 
defend  the  Little  England  estate  from  the  at 
tack  of  the  barges.  But  while  he  was  moving 
on  along  the  lane  that  led  from  the  plantation 
toward  Celey's  road  and  the  great  highway,  he 
was  suddenly  assailed  by  an  enfilading  fire  from 
the  left. 

"  Instantly  he  ordered  his  men  to  wheel  and 
charge  upon  the  foe,  who  were  now  in  the  edge 
of  the  woods.  His  troops  obeyed,  behaving 
like  veterans,  and  the  enemy  fell  back  ;  but  pres 
ently  rallied,  and,  showing  themselves  directly 
in  front  of  the  Americans,  opened  upon  them  in 
a  storm  of  grape  and  canister  from  two  six- 
pounders  and  some  Congreve  rockets. 

"The  Americans  stood  the  storm  for  a  few 
minutes,  then  fell  back,  broke  ranks,  and  some 
of  them  fled  in  confusion. 

"  In  the  meantime  Parker  had  been  working 
his  piece  with  good  effect  till  his  ammunition 
gave  out.  Lieutenant  Jones,  of  the  Hampton 


30  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

artillery,  perceiving  that  to  be  the  case,  hurried 
to  his  assistance  ;  but  seeing  an  overwhelming 
force  of  the  enemy  approaching,  they — Parker's 
men — fell  back  to  the  Yorktown  Pike. 

"  Jones,  who  had  one  cannon  with  him, 
found  that  his  match  had  gone  out,  and  rushing 
to  a  house  near  by  he  snatched  a  burning  brand 
from  the  fire,  hurried  back,  and  hid  himself  in  a 
hollow  near  a  spring. 

"  The  British  supposed  they  had  captured  all 
the  cannon,  or  that  if  any  were  left  they  had  been 
abandoned,  and  drawing  near  they  presently 
filled  the  lane  ;  then  Jones  rose  and  discharged 
his  piece  with  terrible  effect,  many  of  the  British 
were  prostrated  by  the  unexpected  shot,  and 
during  the  confusion  that  followed  Jones  made 
good  his  retreat,  attaching  a  horse  to  his  can 
non,  and  bearing  it  off  with  him. 

"  He  hastened  to  the  assistance  of  Pryor,  but 
on  drawing  near  his  camp  saw  that  it  had  fallen 
into  the  possession  of  the  foe. 

"  Pryor  had  retreated  in  safety,  after  spiking 
his  guns.  He  and  his  command  fought  their 
way  through  the  enemy's  ranks  with  their 
guns,  swam  the  west  branch  of  Hampton  Creek, 
and,  making  a  circuit  in  the  enemy's  rear,  fled 
without  losing  a  man  or  a  musket. 

"  Jones  had  seen  it  all,  and  spiking  his  gun 
followed  Pryor's  men  to  the  same  place. 

"  In  the  meantime  Crutchfield  had  rallied  his 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  31 

men,  those  who  still  remained  with  him,  on  the 
flank  of  Sei-vant's  riflemen,  and  was  again  fight 
ing  vigorously. 

"  But  presently  a  powerful  flank  movement  of 
the  foe  showed  him  that  he  was  in  danger  of 
being  cut  off  from  his  line  of  retreat.  He  then 
withdrew  in  good  order  and  escaped,  though 
pursued  for  two  miles  by  the  enemy. 

"  That  ended  the  battle,  in  which  about  thirty 
Americans  and  fifty  of  the  British  had  fallen. 
Then  presently  followed  the  disgraceful  scenes 
in  Hampton  of  which  I  have  already  told  you  aa 
having  brought  lasting  infamy  upon  the  name 
of  Sir  George  Cockburn." 

"  1  think  he  was  worse  than  a  savage  ! "  ex 
claimed  Lulu  hotly. 

"  Certainly,  far  worse ;  and  more  brutal  than 
some  of  the  Indian  chiefs — 'Brant^for  instance," 
said  Rosie,  "  or  Tecumseh." 

"I  cannot  see  in  what  respect  he  was  any 
better  than  a  pirate,"  added  Evelyn,  in  a  quiet 
tone. 

"  Nor  can  I,"  said  Captain  Raymond  ;  "  so 
shameful  were  his  atrocities  that  even  the  most 
violent  of  his  British  partisans  were  constrained 
to  denounce  them." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BEFORE  the  sun  had  set  the  Dolphin  was  again 
speeding  over  the  water,  but  now  on  the  ocean, 
and  going  northward,  Philadelphia  being  their 
present  destination.  It  Jhad  grown  cloudy  and 
by  bedtime  a  steady  rain  was  falling,  but  unac 
companied  by  much  wind,  so  that  no  one  felt 
any  apprehension  of  shipwreck  or  other  marine 
disaster,  and  all  slept  well. 

The  next  morning  Lulu  was,  as  usual,  one  of 
the  first  to  leave  her  berth,  and  having  made  her 
self  neat  for  the  day  she  hurried  upon  deck. 

It  had  ceased  raining  and  the  clouds  were 
breaking  away. 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  !  "  she  exclaimed,  running  to 
meet  her  father,  who  was  coming  toward  her, 
holding  out  his  hand  with  an  affectionate  smile, 
"  so  glad  it  is  clearing  off  so  beautifully  ;  aren't 
you,  papa  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  particularly  for  your  sake,  daughter," 
he  replied,  putting  an  arm  about  her  and  bend 
ing  down  to  give  her  a  good-morning  kiss. 
"Did  you  sleep  well  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  papa,  thank  you  ;  but  I  woke 
early  and  got  up  because  I  wanted  to  come  on 

32 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  33 

deck  and  look  about.  Where  are  we  now  ?  I 
can  see  land  on  the  western  side." 

"  Yes,  that  is  a  part  of  the  Delaware  coast," 
he  answered.  "  We  are  nearing  Cape  Henlopen. 
By  the  way,  do  you  remember  what  occurred 
near  there,  at  the  village  of  Lewis,  in  the  war 
of  1812?" 

"  ~No,  sir,"  she  said.  "  Won't  you  please  tell 
me  about  it  ?  " 

"  I  will ;  it  is  not  a  very  long  story.  It  was  in 
March  of  the  year  1813  that  the  British,  after 
destroying  such  small  merchant  craft  as  they 
could  find  in  Chesapeake  Bay,  concluded  to 
blockade  Delaware  bay  and  river  and  reduce  to 
submission  the  Americans  living  along  their 
(shores.  Commodore  Beresford  was  accordingly 
sent  on  the  expedition  in  command  of  the  Bel- 
videra,  Poictiers,  and  several  smaller  vessels. 

"  On  the  16th  of  March  he  appeared  before 
Lewis  in  his  vessel,  the  Poictiers,  and  pointing 
her  guns  toward  the  town  sent  a  note  addressed 
to  the  first  magistrate  demanding  twenty  live 
bullocks  and  a  proportionate  quantity  of  hay 
and  of  vegetables  for  the  use  of  his  Britannic 
majesty's  squadron.  He  offered  to  pay  for  them, 
but  threatened  in  the  event  of  refusal  to  destroy 
the  town." 

"  The  insolent  fellow  !"  cried  Lulu.  "  I  hope 
they  didn't  do  it,  papa  ?  " 

"  No;  indeed,  they  flatly  refused  compliance 


34  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

and  told  him  to  do  his  worst.  The  people  on 
both  sides  of  the  bay  and  river  had  heard  of  his 
approach  and  armed  bodies  of  them  were  gath 
ered  at  points  where  an  attack  might  be  expect 
ed.  There  were  still  among  them  some  of  the 
old  soldiers  of  the  revolution,  and  you  may  be 
sure  they  were  ready  to  do  their  best  to  repel 
this  second  invasion  by  their  old  enemy.  One 
of  these  was  a  bent  old  man  of  the  name  of 
Jonathan  M'Nult.  He  lived  in  Dover,  and 
when,  on  the  Sabbath  day,  the  drums  beat  to 
arms,  he,  along  with  men  of  every  denomination 
to  the  number  of  nearly  five  hundred,  quickly 
responded  to  the  call,  took  part  in  the  drill,  and 
spent  the  whole  afternoon  in  making  ball-cart 
ridges. 

"  The  people  of  all  the  towns  of  the  vicinity 
showed  the  same  spirit  and  turned  out  with 
spades  and  muskets,  ready  to  take  part  in  the 
throwing  up  of  batteries  and  trenches,  or  to 
fight '  for  their  altars  and  their  fires ' — defending 
wives,  children,  and  other  helpless  ones.  At 
Wilmington  they  built  a  strong  fort  which  they 
named  Union. 

"  This  spirited  behavior  of  the  Americana 
surprised  Beresford,  and  for  three  weeks  he 
refrained  from  any  attempt  to  carry  out  his 
threat. 

"  During  that  time  Governor  Haslet  came  to 
Lewis  and  summoned  the  militia  to  its  defence. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  35 

On  his  arrival  he  reiterated  the  refusal  to  sup 
ply  the  British  invaders  with  what  had  been 
demanded. 

"  Beresford  repeated  his  threats  and  at  length, 
on  the  6th  of  April,  sent  Captain  Byron,  with  the 
Belvidera  and  several  smaller  vessels,  to  attack 
the  town. 

"  He  fired  several  heavy  round  shot  into  it,  then 
sent  a  flag  of  truce,  again  demanding  the  supplies 
Beresford  had  called  for. 

"Colonel  Davis,  the  officer  in  command  of 
the  militia,  repeated  the  refusal;  then  Byron  sent 
word  that  he  was  sorry  for  the  misery  he  should 
inflict  on  the  women  and  children  by  a  bombard 
ment. 

"To  that  a  verbal  reply  was  sent:  'Colonel 
Davis  is  a  gallant  officer,  and  has  taken  care  of 
the  ladies.' 

"  Then  Byron  presently  began  a  cannonade 
and  bombardment  and  kept  it  up  for  twenty-two 
hours. 

"The  Americans  replied  in  a  very  spirited 
manner  from  a  battery  on  an  eminence.  Davis's 
militia  worked  it  and  succeeded  in  disabling  the 
most  dangerous  of  the  enemy's  gunboats  and 
silencing  its  cannon. 

"  The  British  failed  in  their  effort  to  inflicA 
great  damage  upon  the  town,  although  they 
hurled  into  it  as  many  as  eight  hundred  eighteen 
and  thirty-two  pound  shot,  besides  many  shells 


36  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

and  Congreve  rockets.  The  heavy  round  shot 
injured  some  of  the  houses  but  the  shells  did  not 
reack  the  town  and  the  rockets  passed  over  it. 
No  one  was  killed. 

"  Plenty  of  powder  was  sent  for  the  American 
guns  from  Dupont's  at  Wilmington,  and  they 
picked  up  and  sent  back  the  British  balls,  which 
they  found  just  fitted  their  cannon." 

"  How  good  that  was, "  laughed  Lulu.  "  It 
reminds  me  of  the  British  at  Boston  asking  the 
Americans  to  sell  them  their  balls  which  they 
had  picked  up,  and  the  Americans  answering, 
'  Give  us  powder  and  we'll  return  your  balls. ' 
But  is  that  all  of  your  story,  papa  ?  " 

"  Yes,  all  about  the  fight  at  Lewis,  but  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  the  British  tried 
to  land  to  steal  some  of  the  live  stock  in  the 
neighborhood ;  yet  without  success,  as  the 
American  militia  met  them  at  the  water's  edge 
and  drove  them  back  to  their  ships. 

"About  a  month  later  the  British  squadron 
dropped  down  to  Newbold's  ponds,  seven  miles 
below  Lewis,  and  boats  filled  with  their  armed 
men  were  sent  on  shore  for  water;  but  a  few  of 
Colonel  Davis's  men,  under  the  command  of  Ma 
jor  George  H.  Hunter,  met  and  drove  them  back 
to  their  ships.  So,  finding  he  could  not  obtain 
supplies  on  the  Delaware  shore,  Beresf ord's  lit 
tle  squadron  sailed  for  Bermuda." 

"  Good  !     Thank  you  for  telling  me  about  it^ 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  37 

pa,"  said  Lulu.  "Are  we  going  to  stop  at 
.uewis .  " 

"  No,  but  we  will  pass  near  enough  to  have  a 
distant  view  of  the  town." 

"Oh,  I  want  to  see  it !  "  she  exclaimed;  "  and 
I'm  sure  the  rest  will  when  they  hear  what  hap 
pened  there." 

"Well,  daughter,  there  will  be  nothing  to 
hinder, "  the  captain  answered  pleasantly. 

"  How  soon  will  we  reach  the  point  from  which 
we  can  see  it  best,  papa  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  think  about  the  time  we  leave  the  breakfast 
table,"  was  his  reply. 

"  Papa,  don't  you  miss  Max  ?  "  was  her  next 
question. 

"Very  much,"  he  said.  "Dear  boy!  he  is 
doubtless  feeling  quite  lonely  and  homesick 
this  morning.  However,  he  will  soon  get  over 
that  and  enjoy  his  studies  and  his  sports." 

"I  think  he'll  do  you  credit,  papa,  and  make 
us  all  proud  of  him,"  she  said,  slipping  her  hand 
into  her  father's  and  looking  up  lovingly  into 
his  face. 

"  Yes,"  the  captain  said,  pressing  the  little 
hand  affectionately  in  his,  "  I  have  no  doubt  he 
will.  I  think,  as  I  am  sure  his  sister  Lulu  does, 
that  Max  is  a  boy  any  father  and  sister  might 
be  proud  of." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  papa  ! "  she  responded.  "  I'm 
glad  he  is  my  brother,  and  I  hope  to  live  to  see 


38  ELSIE'S  VACATION, 

him  an  admiral ;  as  I'm  sure  you  would  have 
been  if  you'd  stayed  in  the  navy  and  we'd  had 
a  war." 

"  And  my  partial  little  daughter  had  the 
bestowal  of  such  preferment  and  titles,"  he 
added  laughingly. 

Just  then  Rosie  and  Evelyn  joined  them, 
followed  almost  immediately  by  Walter  and 
Grace,  when  Lulu  gave  them  in  a  few  hasty 
sentences  the  information  her  father  had  given 
her  in  regard  to  the  history  of  Lewis,  and  told 
of  their  near  approach  to  it. 

Every  one  was  interested  and  all  hurried  from 
the  breakfast-table  to  the  deck  in  time  to  catch 
a  view  of  the  place,  though  a  rather  distant 
one. 

When  it  had  vanished  from  sight,  Evelyn 
turned  to  Captain  Raymond,  exclaiming,  "O 
sir,  will  you  not  point  out  Forts  Mercer  and 
Mifflin  to  us  when  we  come  in  sight  of  them  ?  " 

"  With  pleasure,"  he  replied.  "  They  are  at 
Red  Bank.  Fort  Mercer  on  the  New  Jersey 
Bhore  of  the  Delaware  River,  a  few  miles  below 
Philadelphia,  Fort  Mifflin  on  the  other  side  of 
the  river  on  Great  and  Little  Mud  Islands.  It 
was,  in  Revolutionary  days,  a  strong  redoubt 
with  quite  extensive  outworks." 

"  Did  our  men  fight  the  British  there  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  papa  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"Yes  ;  it  was  in  the  fall  of  1777,  soon  after 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  39 

the  battle  of  the  Brandywine,  in  which,  as  you 
may  remember,  the  Americans  were  defeated. 
They  retreated  to  Chester  that  night,  marched 
the  next  day  toward  Philadelphia,  and  encamped 
near  Germantown.  Howe  followed  and  took 
possession  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

"  The  Americans,  fearing  such  an  event,  had 
put  obstructions  in  the  Delaware  River  to  pre 
vent  the  British  ships  from  ascending  it,  and 
also  had  built  these  two  forts  with  which  to 
protect  the  chevaux  defrise. 

"  The  battle  of  the  Brandywine,  as  you  may 
remember,  was  fought  on  the  llth  of  Septem 
ber,  and,  as  I  have  said,  the  British  pushed  on 
to  Philadelphia  and  entered  it  in  triumph  on 
the  26th." 

"  Papa,  what  are  chevaux  de  frise  ?  "  asked 
Grace. 

"  They  are  ranges  of  strong  frames  with  iron- 
pointed  wooden  spikes,"  he  answered  ;  then 
went  on  : 

"In  addition  to  these,  the  Americans  had 
erected  batteries  on  the  shores,  among  which  was 
the  strong  redoubt  called  Fort  Mercer,  which, 
and  also  Fort  Mifflin  on  the  Mud  Islands,  I  have 
already  mentioned.  Besides  all  these,  there  were 
several  floating  batteries  and  armed  galleys  sta 
tioned  in  the  river. 

"  All  this  troubled  the  British  general,  because 
he  foresaw  that  their  presence  there  would  make 


40  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

it  very  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  keep  hie 
army  supplied  with  provisions  j  also  they  would 
be  in  more  danger  from  the  American  forces  if 
unsupported  by  their  fleet. 

"  Earl  Howe,  as  you  will  remember,  was  at 
this  time  in  Chesapeake  Bay  with  a  number  of 
British  vessels  of  war.  As  we  have  just  been 
doing,  he  sailed  down  the  one  bay  and  up  into 
the  other,  but  was  prevented,  by  these  fortifica 
tions  of  the  Americans,  from  continuing  on  up 
the  Delaware  River  to  Philadelphia. 

"  Among  his  vessels  was  one  called  the  Roe 
buck,  commanded  by  a  Captain  Hammond.  That 
officer  offered  to  take  upon  himself  the  task  of 
opening  a  passage  for  their  vessels  through  the 
chevaux  defrise,  if  Howe  would  send  a  sufficient 
force  to  reduce  the  fortifications  at  Billingsport. 

"  Howe  was  pleased  with  the  proposition  and 
two  regiments  of  troops  were  sent  from  Chester 
to  accomplish  the  work.  They  were  successful, 
made  a  furious  and  unexpected  assault  upon  the 
unfinished  works,  and  the  Americans  spiked 
their  cannon,  set  fire  to  the  barracks,  and  fled  ; 
the  English  demolished  the  works  on  the  river 
front,  and  Hammond,  with  some  difficulty,  made 
a  passage  way  seven  feet  wide  in  the  cJievaux 
defrise,  so  that  six  of  the  British  vessels  passed 
through  and  anchored  near  Hog  Island." 

"  Did  they  immediately  attack  Forts  Mifflin 
and  Mercer,  papa  ?  "  asked  Lulu. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  41 

"It  took  some  little  time  to  make  tlie  needed 
preparations,"  replied  the  captain.  "  It  was 
on  the  21st  of  October  that  Count  Donop, 
with  twelve  hundred  picked  Hessians,  crossed 
the  Delaware  at  Cooper's  Ferry,  and  marched 
to  the  attack  of  Fort  Mercer.  The  Americans 
added  eight  miles  to  the  extent  of  their  march 
by  taking  up  the  bridge  over  a  creek  which 
they  must  cross,  so  compelling  them  to  go  four 
miles  up  the  stream  to  find  a  ford. 

"  It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  22d  that  they 
made  their  appearance,  fully  armed  for  battle,, 
on  the  edge  of  a  wood  within  cannon  shot  of 
Fort  Mercer. 

"  It  was  a  great  surprise  to  our  men,  for  they 
had  not  heard  of  the  approach  of  these  troops. 
They  were  informed  that  there  were  twenty -five 
hundred  of  the  Hessians,  while  of  themselves 
there  were  but  four  hundred  men  in  a  feeble 
earth  fort,  with  but  fourteen  pieces  of  can 
non. 

"  But  the  brave  fellows  had  no  idea  of  sur 
rendering  without  a  struggle.  There  were  two 
Rhode  Island  regiments,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Christopher  Greene.  They  at  once  made  prep 
arations  for  defence,  and  while  they  were  thus 
engaged  a  Hessian  oificer  rode  up  to  the  fort 
with  a  flag  and  a  drummer,  and  insolently  pro 
claimed,  'The  King  of  England  orders  his 
rebellious  subjects  to  lay  down  their  arms  ;  and 


42  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

they  are  warned  that  if  they  stand  the  battle, 
no  quarter  whatever  will  be  given.' 

"Colonel  Greene  answered  him,  'We  ask  no 
quarter  nor  will  we  give  any.' 

"  The  Hessian  and  Iris  drummer  then  rode 
hastily  back  to  his  commander  and  the  Hessians 
at  once  fell  to  work  building  a  battery  within 
half  cannon  shot  of  the  fort. 

"  At  the  same  time  the  Americans  continued 
their  preparations  for  the  coming  conflict, 
making  them  with  the  greatest  activity  and 
eagerness,  feeling  that  with  them  skill  and 
bravery  must  now  combat  overwhelming  num 
bers,  fierceness,  and  discipline. 

"Their  outworks  were  unfinished  but  they 
placed  gi'eat  reliance  upon  the  redoubt. 

"  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  Hessians 
opened  a  brisk  cannonade,  and  at  a  quarter  be 
fore  five  a  battalion  advanced  to  the  attack  on 
the  north  side  of  the  fort,  near  a  morass  which 
covered  it. 

"They  found  the  works  there  abandoned  but 
not  destroyed,  and  thought  that  they  had  fright 
ened  the  Americans  away.  So  with  a  shout  of 
victory,  and  the  drummer  beating  a  lively  march, 
they  rushed  to  the  redoubt,  where  not  a  man  was 
to  be  seen. 

"But  as  they  reached  it,  and  were  about  to 
climb  the  ramparts  to  plant  their  flag  there,  a 
sudden  and  galling  fire  of  musketry  and  grape- 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  43 

shot  poured  out  upon  them  from  a  half-masked 
battery  on  their  left  flank,  formed  by  an  angle 
of  an  old  embankment. 

"  It  took  terrible  effect  and  drove  them  back 
to  their  old  intrenchments. 

"  At  the  same  time  another  division,  com 
manded  by  Dunot  himself,  attacked  the  fort  on 
the  south  side,  but  they  also  were  driven  back, 
with  great  loss,  by  the  continuous  and  heavy 
fire  of  the  Americans. 

"The  fight  was  a  short  one  but  very  severe. 
Donop  had  fallen,  mortally  wounded,  at  the  first 
fire.  Mingerode,  his  second  in  command,  was 
wounded  also,  and  in  all  the  enemy  left  behind, 
in  the  hasty  retreat  which  followed,  some  four 
hundred  in  killed  and  wounded. 

"  The  American  galleys  and  floating  batteries 
in  the  river  galled  them  considerably  in  their 
retreat. 

"  After  the  fight  was  over  Manduit,  the  French 
engineer  who  had  directed  the  artillery  fire  of  the 
fort,  was  out  with  a  detachment  examining  and 
restoring  the  palisades,  when  he  heard  a  voice 
coming  from  among  the  killed  and  wounded 
of  the  enemy,  saying,  '  Whoever  you  are,  draw 
me  hence.' 

"  It  was  Count  Donop,  and  Manduit  had  him 
carried  first  into  the  fort,  afterward  to  a  house 
close  at  hand,  occupied  by  a  family  named 
Whitall,  where  he  died  three  days  afterward. 


44  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  Donop  was  but  thirty-seven.  He  said  to 
Manduit,  who  attended  him  till  he  di«d,  '  It  is 
finishing  a  noble  career  early ;  but  I  die  the 
victim  of  my  ambition  and  the  avarice  of  my 
sovereign.' " 

"  His  sovereign  ?  That  was  George  the  Third, 
papa  ?  "  Grace  said  inquiringly. 

"  No,  Donop  was  a  Hessian,  hired  out  to  the 
British  king  by  his  sovereign,"  replied  her 
father. 

"  And  avarice  means  love  of  money  ?  " 

"  Yes,  daughter  ;  and  it  was  avarice  on  the 
part  of  both  sovereigns  that  led  to  the  hiring 
of  the  Hessians  ;  the  war  wras  waged  by  the 
king  of  England  because  the  Americans  refused 
to  be  taxed  by  him  at  his  pleasure  and  without 
their  consent.  He  wanted  their  money. 

"  Whitall's  house,  a  two-story  brick,  built  in 
1748,  stood  close  by  the  river,"  continued  the 
captain,  "  and  I  suppose  is  still  there  ;  it  was,  in 
1851,  when  Lossing  visited  the  locality. 

"  The  Whitalls  were  Quakers  and  took  no 
part  in  the  war.  When  the  fort  was  attacked 
Mrs.  Whitall  was  urged  to  flee  to  some  place  of 
safety,  but  declined  to  do  so,  saying,  '  God's 
arm  is  strong,  and  will  protect  me  ;  I  may  do 
good  by  staying.' 

"  She  was  left  alone  in  the  house,  and,  while 
the  battle  was  raging,  sat  in  a  room  in  the  sec 
ond  story  busily  at  work  at  her  spinning-wheel, 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  45 

<rhile~the  shot  came  dashing  like  hail  against 
the  walls.  At  length  one,  a  twelve-pound  ball 
from  a  British  vessel  in  the  river,  just  grazed 
the  walnut  tree  at  the  fort,  which  the  Americans 
used  as  a  flag-staff,  and  crashed  into  her  house 
through  the  heavy  brick  wall  on  the  north 
gable,  then  through  a  partition  at  the  head  oi 
the  stairs,  crossed  a  recess,  and  lodged  in  another 
partition  near  where  she  was  sitting. 

"  At  that  she  gathered  up  her  work  and  went 
down  to  the  cellar. 

"  At  the  close  of  the  battle  the  wounded  and 
dying  were  brought  into  her  house  and  she  left 
her  work  to  wait  upon  them  and  do  all  in  her 
power  to  relieve  their  sufferings. 

"She  attended  to  all,  friend  and  foe,  with 
equal  kindness,  but  scolded  the  Hessians  for  com- 
ing  to  America  to  butcher  the  people." 

"  I  am  sure  she  must  have  been  a  good  wo 
man,"  remarked  Grace  ;  "  but,  oh,  I  don't  know 
how  she  could  dare  to  stay  in  the  house  while 
those  dreadful  balls  were  flying  about  it." 

"No  doubt  she  felt  that  she  was  in  the  way 
of  her  duty,"  replied  the  captain,  "  and  the  path 
of  duty  is  the  safe  one.  She  seems  to  have  been 
a  good  Christian  woman." 

"  Yes,  indeed  !  "  said  Evelyn.  "  Captain,  did 
not  the  British  attack  Fort  Miffiin  at  the  same 
time  that  the  fight  was  in  progress  at  Fort  Her* 
cer?" 


46  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  Yes  ;  the  firing  of  the  first  gun  from  the 
Hessian  battery  was  the  signal  for  the  British 
vessels  in  the  river  to  begin  the  assault  upon  the 
other  fort  on  its  opposite  side. 

"The  Augusta  and  several  smaller  vessels 
had  made  their  way  through  the  passage  in  the 
chevaux  de  frise  which  Hammond  had  opened, 
and  were  now  anchored  above  it,  waiting  for 
flood  tide. 

"  The  Augusta  was  a  sixty-four  gun  ship;  be- 
eides  there  were  the  Jferlin,  of  eighteen  guns;  the 
Roebuck,  of  forty-four;  two  frigates,  and  a 
galley.  All  these  came  up  with  the  purpose  to 
attack  the  fort,  but  were  kept  at  bay  by  the 
American  galleys  and  floating  batteries,  which 
also  did  good  service  by  flanking  the  enemy  in 
their  attack  upon  Fort  Mercer. 

"  The  British  deferred  their  attack  upon  Fort 
Mifflin  until  the  next  morning,  when,  the  Hes 
sians  having  been  driven  off  from  Fort  Mercer, 
the  American  flotilla  was  able  to  turn  its  atten 
tion  entirely  upon  the  British  fleet,  which  now 
opened  a  heavy  cannonade  upon  Fort  Mifflin, 
attempting  also  to  get  floating  batteries  into  the 
channel  back  of  the  island. 

"But  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith,  a  gallant 
officer  in  command  of  the  fort,  very  vigilant  and 
brave,  thwarted  all  their  efforts  and  greatly  as 
sisted  the  flotilla  in  repulsing  them. 

"The  fire  of  the  Americans  was  so  fierce  and 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  47 

incessant  that  the  British  vessels  presently  tried 
to  fall  down  the  stream  to  get  beyond  its  reach. 
But  a  hot  shot  struck  the  Augusta  and  set  her 
on  fire.  She  also  got  aground  on  a  mud  bank 
near  the  Jersey  shore  and  at  noon  blew  up. 

"The  fight  between  the  other  British  and  the 
American  vessels  went  on  until  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  when  the  Merlin  took  fire  and 
blew  up  near  the  mouth  of  Mud  Creek. 

"  The  Roebuck  then  dropped  down  the  river 
below  the  chevaux  defrise,  and  for  a  skort  time 
the  Americans  were  left  in  undisturbed  posses 
sion  of  their  forts. 

"  Howe  was,  however,  very  anxious  to  dislodge 
them,  because  the  river  was  the  only  avenue  by 
which  provisions  could  be  brought  to  his  army 
in  Philadelphia. 

"  On  the  1st  of  November  he  took  possession  of 
Province  Island,  lying  between  Fort  Mifflin  and 
the  mainland,  and  began  throwing  up  works  to 
strengthen  himself  and  annoy  the  defenders  of 
the  fort. 

"  But  they  showed  themselves  wonderfully 
brave  and  patient.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith 
was  as  fine  an  officer  as  one  could  desire  to 
see. 

"The  principal  fortification  of  Fort  Mifflin  was 
in  front,  that  being  the  side  from  which  vessels 
coming  up  the  river  must  be  repelled;  but  on  the 
side  toward  Province  Island  it  was  defended  by 


48  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

only  a  wet  ditch.  There  was  a  block  house  at 
each  of  its  angles,  but  they  were  not  strong,  and 
when  the  Americans  saw  the  British  take  posses 
sion  of  Province  Island  and  begin  building  bat 
teries  there,  they  felt  that  unless  assistance 
should  be  sent  to  dislodge  the  enemy,  the  fort 
would  soon  be  demolished  or  fall  into  his  posses 
sion." 

"But  couldn't  Washington  help  them,  and 
didn't  he  try  to  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"  Washington  was  most  desirous  to  do  so  and 
made  every  effort  in  his  power  "  replied  her 
father;  "and  if  Gates  had  done  his  duty  the 
fort  might  probably  have  been  saved.  Bur- 
goyne's  army  had  been  defeated  and  captured 
some  time  before  this,  and  there  was  then  no 
other  formidable  enemy  in  that  quarter  ;  but 
Gates  was  jealous  of  Washington  and,  rather 
than  have  him  successful,  preferred  to  sacrifice 
the  cause  which  he  had  engaged  to  defend. 

"  He  had  ample  stores  and  a  formidable  force, 
and  had  he  come  promptly  to  the  rescue  might 
have  rendered  such  assistance  as  to  enable  Wash 
ington  to  drive  the  British  from  Philadelphia 
and  save  the  forts  upon  the  Delaware. 

"  But,  actuated  by  the  meanest  jealousy,  he 
delayed,  and  would  not  even  return  Morgan's 
corps,  which  Washington  had  been  but  ill  able  to 
spare  to  him. 

"Hamilton,   sent  by  Washington  to  hasten 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  4« 

Gates's  movements  in  the  matter,  grew  very  in 
dignant  at  the  slow  and  reluctant  compliance 
of  Gates,  and  by  plainly  expressing  his  opinion 
induced  him  to  send  a  stronger  reinforcement 
than  he  had  intended. 

"Putnam  also  made  trouble  by  detaining 
some  of  the  troops  forwarded  by  Gates  to 
assist  him  in  carrying  out  a  plan  of  his  own  for 
attacking  New  York. 

"  Governor  Clinton  then  advised  Hamilton  to 
issue  a  peremptory  order  to  Putnam  to  set  those 
troops  in  motion  for  Whitemarsh  where  Wash 
ington  was  encamped.  Hamilton  did  so,  and  the 
troops  were  sent." 

"  Deal*,  dear  !  "  sighed  Lulu,  "  what  a  time 
poor  Washington  did  have  with  Congress  being 
BO  slow,  and  officers  under  him  so  perverse, 
wanting  their  own  way  instead  of  doing  their 
best  to  help  him  to  carry  out  his  good  and  wise 
plans." 

"  Yes,"  her  father  said,  with  a  slight  twinkle  of 
fun  in  his  eye,  "  but  doesn't  my  eldest  daughter 
feel  something  like  sympathy  with  them  in  their 
wish  to  carry  out  their  own  plans  without  much 
regard  for  those  of  other  people  ?  " 

"  I — I  suppose  perhaps  I  ought  to,  papa,"  she 
replied,  blushing  and  hanging  her  head  rather 
shamefacedly  ;  "  and  yet,"  she  added,  lifting  it 
again  and  smiling  up  into  his  eyes,  "  I  do  think 
if  you  had  been  the  commander  over  me  I'd  hava 


50  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

tried  to  follow  your  directions,  believing  you 
knew  better  than  I." 

She  moved  nearer  to  his  side  and  leaned  up 
lovingly  against  him  as  she  spoke. 

"  Yes,  dear  child,  I  feel  quite  sure  of  it," 
he  returned,  laying  his  hand  tenderly  on  her 
head,  then  smoothing  her  hair  caressingly  as  he 
spoke. 

"  But  you  haven't  finished  about  the  second 
attack  upon  Fort  Mifflin,  have  you,  brother 
Levis  ?  "  queried  "Walter. 

"  No,  not  quite,"  the  captain  answered  ;  then 
went  on  with  his  narrative  : 

"  All  through  the  war  Washington  showed 
himself  wonderfully  patient  and  hopeful,  but  it 
was  with  intense  anxiety  he  now  watched  the 
progress  of  the  enemy  in  his  designs  upon  Fort 
Mifflin,  unable  as  he  himself  was  to  succor  its 
threatened  garrison." 

"  But  why  couldn't  he  go  and  help  them  with 
his  soldiers,  papa  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"  Because,  daughter,  if  he  broke  up  his  camp 
at  Whitemarsh,  and  moved  his  army  to  the 
other  side  of  the  Schuylkill,he  must  leave  stores* 
and  hospitals  for  the  sick,  within  reach  of  the 
enemy  ;  leave  the  British  troops  in  possession  of 
the  fords  of  the  river  ;  make  it  difficult,  if  not 
impossible,  for  the  troops  he  was  expecting  from 
the  North  to  join  him,  and  perhaps  bring  on  a 
battle  while  he  was  too  weak  to  hope  for  victory 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  51 

over  such  odds  as  Howe  could  bring  against 
him. 

"  So  the  poor  fellows  in  the  fort  had  to  fight 
it  out  themselves  with  no  assistance  from  out 
side." 

"  Couldn't  they  have  slipped  out  in  the  night 
and  gone  away  quietly  without  fighting,  papa  ?  " 
asked  Grace. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  he  said,  with  a  slight  smile ; 
"  but  such  doings  as  that  would  never  have 
helped  our  country  to  free  herself  from  the  Brit 
ish  yoke  ;  and  these  men  were  too  brave  and  pa 
triotic  to  try  it;  they  were  freemen  and  never 
could  be  slaves  ;  to  them  death  was  pi'eferable 
to  slavery.  We  may  well  be  proud  of  the  skill 
and  courage  with  which  Lientenant-Colonel 
Smith  defended  his  fort  against  the  foe. 

"  On  the  10th  of  November  the  British  opened 
their  batteries  on  land  and  water.  They  had  five 
on  Province  Island,  within  five  hundred  yards  of 
the  fort;  a  large  floating  battery  with  twenty- 
two  twenty-four  pounders,  which  they  bi'ought 
up  within  forty  yards  of  an  angle  of  the  fort; 
also  six  ships,  two  of  them  with  forty  guns 
each,  the  others  with  sixty-four  each,  all  within 
less  than  nine  hundred  yards  of  the  fort." 

"  More  than  three  hundred  guns  all  firing  on 
that  one  little  fort  !  "  exclaimed  Rosie.  "  It  is 
really  wonderful  how  our  poor  men  could  stand 
it." 


52  ELSIE' 8  VACATION. 

"Yes,  for  six  consecutive  days  a  perfect 
storm  of  bombs  and  round  shot  poured  upon 
them,"  said  the  captain,  "  and  it  must  have  re 
quired  no  small  amount  of  courage  to  stand 
such  a  tempest." 

"  I  hope  they  fired  back  and  killed  some  of 
those  wicked  fellows  ! "  exclaimed  Walter,  his 
eyes  flashing. 

"  You  may  be  sure  they  did  their  best  to  de 
fend  themselves  and  their  fort,"  replied  the  cap 
tain.  "  And  the  British  loss  was  great,  though 
the  exact  number  has  never  been  known. 

"  Nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  our  men 
were  killed  or  wounded.  Lieutenant  Treat, 
commanding  the  artillery,  was  killed  on  the  first 
day  by  the  bursting  of  a  bomb.  The  next  day 
quite  a  number  of  the  garrison  were  killed  or 
wounded,  and  Colonel  Smith  himself  had  a  nar 
row  escape. 

"  A  ball  passed  through  a  chimney  in  the 
barracks, — whither  he  had  gone  intending  to 
write  a  letter, — scattered  the  bricks,  and  one  of 
them  striking  him  on  the  head  knocked  him 
senseless. 

"  He  was  carried  across  the  river  to  Red  Bank, 
and  Major  Thayer  of  the  Rhode  Island  line  took 
command  in  his  place. 

"The  first  day  a  battery  of  two  guns  waa 
destroyed,  a  block  house  and  the  laboratory  were 
blown  up,  and  the  garrison  were  compelled  to 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  53 

keep  within  the  fort.  All  that  night  the  British 
threw  shells  and  the  scene  was  a  terrible  one  in 
deed,  especially  for  the  poor  fellows  inside  the 
fort. 

"  The  next  morning,  about  sunrise,  they  saw 
thirty  armed  boats  coming  against  them,  and 
that  night  the  heavy  floating  battery  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  fort.  The  next 
morning  it  opened  with  terrible  effect,  yet  they 
endured  it,  and  made  the  enemy  suffer  so  much 
from  their  fire  that  they  began  to  think  seriously 
of  giving  up  the  contest,  when  one  of  the  men 
in  the  fort  deserted  to  them,  and  his  tale  of  the 
weakness,  of  the  garrison  inspiring  the  British 
with  renewed  hope  of  conquest  they  prepared 
for  a  more  general  and  vigorous  assault. 

"At  daylight  on  the  15th  two  men-of-war, 
the  Iris  and  the  Somerset,  passed  up  the  channel 
in  front  of  the  fort  on  Mud  Island.  Two 
others — the  Vigilant  and  a  hulk  with  three 
twenty-four  pounders — passed  through  the  nar 
row  channel  on  the  west  side  and  were  placed 
in  a  position  to  act  in  concert  with  the  batteries 
of  Province  Island  in  enfilading  the  American 
works. 

"  At  ten  o'clock  all  was  silent,  and  doubtless 
our  men  were  awaiting  the  coming  onslaught 
with  intense  anxiety,  when  a  signal  bugle  sounded 
and  instantly  all  the  ships  and  batteries  poured 
a  storm  of  shot  and  shell  from  the  mouths  of 


54  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

their  many  guns  upon  the  devoted  little  garri 
son." 

"  Oh,  how  dreadful !  "  sighed  Grace.  "  Could 
they  stand  it,  papa  ?  " 

"  They  endured  it  with  astonishing  courage," 
replied  the  captain,  "  while  all  day  long,  and  far 
into  the  evening,  it  was  kept  up  without 
cessation.  The  yards  of  the  British  ships  hung 
nearly  over  the  American  battery  ;  and  there 
were  musketeers  stationed  in  their  tops  who 
immediately  shot  down  every  man  who  showed 
himself  on  the  platform  of  the  fort.  Our  men 
displayed,  as  I  have  said,  wonderful  bravery  and 
endurance  ;  there  seems  to  have  been  no  thought 
of  surrender  ,•  but  long  before  night  palisades, 
block  houses,  parapet,  embrasures — all  were 
ruined. 

"Early  in  the  evening  Major  Thayer  sent  all 
but  forty  of  his  men  to  Red  Bank.  He  and  the 
remaining  forty  stayed  on  in  the  fort  until  mid 
night,  then,  setting  fire  to  the  remains  of  the 
barracks,  they  also  escaped  in  safety  to  Red 
Bank. 

"  Lossing  tells  us  that  in  the  course  of  that 
last  day  more  than  a  thousand  discharges  of 
cannon,  from  twelve  to  thirty-two  pounders, 
were  made  against  the  works  on  Mud  Island,  and 
that  it  was  one  of  the  most  gallant  and  obstinate 
defences  of  the  war. 

"Major  Thayer  received  great  credit  for  his 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  55 

share  in  it,  and  was  presented  with  a  sword  by 
the  Rhode  Island  Assembly  as  a  token  of  their 
appreciation  of  his  services  there." 

"  Did  not  Captain — afterward  Commodore — 
Talbot  do  himself  great  credit  there  ?  "  asked 
Evelyn. 

"Yes  ;  he  fought  for  hours  with  his  wrist 
shattered  by  a  musket  ball  ;  then  was  wounded 
in  the  hip  and  was  sent  to  Red  Bank.  He  was 
a  very  brave  man  and  did  much  good  service 
during  the  war.  principally  on  the  water,  taking 
vessel  after  vessel.  In  the  fight  with  one  of 
them — the  Dragon — his  speaking  trumpet  was 
pierced  by  bullets  and  the  skirts  of  his  coat 
were  shot  away." 

"  How  brave  he  must  have  been  ! "  exclaimed 
Lulu  with  enthusiasm.  "  Don't  you  think  so, 
papa  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  do,"  replied  the  captain.  "  He  was 
one  of  the  many  men  of  that  period  of  whom 
their  countrymen  may  be  justly  proud." 


CHAPTER  V. 

7  LITTLE  NED,  who  was  not  very  well,  began 
fretting  and  reaching  out  his  arms  to  be  taken 
by  his  father.  The  captain  lifted  him  tenderly, 
saying  something  in  a  soothing  tone,  and  car 
ried  him  away  to  another  part  of  the  deck. 

Then  the  young  people,  gathering  about 
Grandma  Elsie,  who  had  been  an  almost  silent 
listener  to  Captain  Raymond's  account  of  the 
attacks  upon  the  forts,  and  the  gallant  conduct 
of  their  defenders,  begged  her  to  tell  them 
something  more  of  the  stirring  events  of  those 
revolutionary  days. 

"  You  have  visited  the  places  near  here  where 
there  was  fighting  in  those  days,  haven't  you, 
mamma?"  asked  Walter. 

"  Yes,  some  years  ago,"  she  replied.  "  Ah, 
how  many  years  ago  it  was ! "  she  added 
musingly  ;  then  continued,  "  When  I  was  quite 
a  little  girl,  my  father  took  me  to  Philadelphia, 
and  a  number  of  other  places,  where  occurred 
notable  events  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution." 

"  And  you  will  tell  us  about  them,  won't  you, 
mamma?  "  Walter  asked,  in  coaxing  tones. 

"  Certainly,  if  you  and  the  rest  all  wish  it," 

50 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  57 

she  returned,  smiling  lovingly  into  the  eager 
young  face,  while  the  others  joined  in  the 
request. 

"  Please  tell  about  Philadelphia  first,  mamma," 
Walter  went  on.  "  You  went  to  Independence 
Hall,  of  course,  and  we've  all  been  there,  I  be 
lieve  ;  but  there  must  be  some  other  points  of 
interest  in  and  about  the  city,  I  should  think, 
that  will  be  rather  new  to  us." 

"  Yes,  there  are  others,"  she  replied,  "  though 
I  suppose  that  to  every  American  Independence 
Hall  is  the  most  interesting  of  all,  since  it  was 
there  the  Continental  Congress  held  its  meetings, 
and  its  bell  that  proclaimed  the  glad  tidings 
that  that  grand  Declaration  of  Independence  had 
been  signed  and  the  colonies  of  Great  Britain 
had  become  free  and  independent  States — though 
there  was  long  and  desperate  fighting  to  go 
through  before  England  would  acknowledge 
it." 

"Mamma,  don't  you  hate  old  England  for  it  ?" 
cried  Walter  impulsively,  his  eyes  flashing. 

"  No,  indeed  !  "  she  replied,  laughing  softly, 
and  patting  his  rosy  cheek  with  her  still  pretty 
white  hand.  "  It  was  not  the  England  of  to 
day,  you  must  remember,  my  son,  nor  indeed 
the  England  of  that  day,  but  her  half  crazy 
king  and  his  ministers,  who  thought  to  raise 
money  for  him  by  unjust  taxation  of  the  people 
of  this  land.  *  Taxation  without  representation 


58  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

is  tyranny.'  So  they  felt  and  said,  and  as  sudi 
resisted  it." 

"  And  I'm  proud  of  them  for  doing  so  !  "  he 
exclaimed,  his  eyes  sparkling.  "  Now,  what 
other  revolutionary  places  are  to  be  seen  in 
Philadelphia,  mamma  ?  " 

"  There  is  Christ  Church,  wher.e  Washington, 
Franklin,  members  of  Congress,  and  officers  of 
the  Continental  army  used  to  worship,  with  its 
graveyard  where  Franklin  and  his  wife  Deborah 
lie  buried.  Major-General  Lee  too  was  laid 
there  ;  also  General  Mercer,  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Princeton,  but  his  body  was  afterward  re 
moved  to  Laurel  Hill  Cemetery." 

"  We  will  visit  Christ  Church,  I  hope,"  said 
Rosie.  "  Carpenter's  Hall  too,  where  the  first 
Continental  Congress  met,  and  Loxlev  House, 

O  *  v  * 

where  Lydia  Darrah  lived  in  Revolutionary 
times.  You  saw  that,  I  suppose,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  her  mother,  "  but  I  do  not 
know  whether  it  is,  or  is  not,  still  standing." 

"  That's  a  nice  story  about  Lydia  Darrnh," 
remarked  Walter,  with  satisfaction.  "  I  think 
she  showed  herself  a  grand  woman  ;  don't  you, 
mamma  ?  " 

"I  do,  indeed,"  replied  his  mother.  "She 
was  a  true  patriot." 

"  There  were  many  grand  men  and  women 
in  our  country  in  those  times,"  remarked  Evelyn 
Leland.  "  The  members  of  that  first  Congress 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  59 

that  met  in  Carpenter's  Hall  on  Monday,  the 
5th  of  September,  1774,  were  such.  Do  you 
not  think  so,  Grandma  Elsie  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  quite  agree  with  you,"  replied  Mrs. 
Travilla  ;  "and  it  was  John  Adams — himself  by 
no  means  one  of  the  least — who  said,  '  There  id 
in  the  Congress  a  collection  of  the  greatest  men 
upon  the  continent  in  point  of  abilities,  virtues, 
and  fortunes.' " 

"  Washington  was  one  of  them,  wasn't  he, 
Grandma  Elsie  ?  "  asked  Lulu. 

"  Yes,  one  of  the  members  from  Virginia, 
The  others  from  that  State  were  Richard  Henry 
Lee,  Peyton  Randolph,  Richard  Bland,  Benja 
min  Harrison,  Edmund  Pendleton,  and  Patrick 
Henry.  Peyton  Randolph  was  chosen  president, 
and  Charles  Thomson,  of  Pennsylvania,  secre 
tary." 

"  And  then,  I  suppose,  they  set  to  work  on  their 
preparations  for  fighting  their  oppressor,  George 
the  Third,"  remarked  Lulu,  half  inquiringly. 

"Lossing  tells  us,"  replied  Mrs.  Travilla, 
"  that  the  delegates  from  the  different  colonies 
then  presented  their  credentials,  and  after  that 
there  was  silence,  while  deep  anxiety  was  de 
picted  on  every  countenance.  It  seemed  difficult 
to  know  how  to  begin  upon  the  work  for  which 
they  had  been  called  together.  But  at  length  & 
grave-looking  member,  in  a  plain  suit  of  gray, 
and  wearing  an  unpowdered  wig,  arose.  S« 


«0  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

plain  was  his  appearance  tliat  Bishop  White, 
who  was  present,  afterward  telling  of  the  cir 
cumstances,  said  he  *  felt  a  regret  that  a  seeming 
country  parson  should  so  far  have  mistaken  his 
talents  and  the  theatre  for  their  display.'  How 
ever,  he  soon  changed  his  mind  as  the  plain- 
looking  man  began  to  speak  ;  his  words  were  so 
eloquent,  his  sentiments  so  logical,  his  voice  was  so 
musical,  that  the  whole  House  was  electrified, 
while  from  lip  to  lip  ran  the  question,  '  Who  is 
he  ?  who  is  he  ? '  and  the  few  who  knew  the 
stranger,  answered,  '  It  is  Patrick  Henry  of 
Virginia.'" 

"  O  mamma,  was  it  before  that  that  he  had 
said,  '  Give  me  liberty  or  give  me  death  *  ?  " 
queried  Walter,  his  eyes  sparkling  with  enthu 
siasm. 

"  No,  he  said  that  a  few  months  afterward  ; 
but  about  nine  years  before,  he  had  startled  his 
hearers  in  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses  by 
his  cry,  *  Caesar  had  his  Brutus,  Charles  the 
First  his  Cromwell,  and  George  the  Third  may 
profit  by  their  example '  !  " 

"  And  now  he  was  starting  the  Congress  at 
its  work  !  " 

"  You  are  right ;  there  was  no  more  hesita 
tion  ;  they  arranged  their  business,  adopted 
rules  for  the  regulation  of  their  sessions,  and 
then — at  the  beginning  of  the  third  day,  and 
when  about  to  enter  upon  the  business  that  had 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  «1 

called  them  together — Mr.  Gushing  moved  that 
the  sessions  should  be  opened  with  prayer  for 
Divine  guidance  and  aid. 

"  Mr.  John  Adams,  in  a  letter  to  his  wife, 
written  the  next  day,  said  that  Mr.  Gush  ing's 
motio  i  was  opposed  by  a  member  from  New 
York,  and  one  from  South  Carolina,  because  the 
assembly  was  composed  of  men  of  so  many 
different  denominations  —  Congregation  alists, 
Presbyterians,  Quakers,  Anabaptists,  and  Episco 
palians, — that  they  could  not  join  in  the  same  act 
of  worship. 

"Then  Mr.  Samuel  Adams  arose,  and  said  that 
he  was  no  bigot  and  could  hear  a  prayer  from 
any  gentleman  of  piety  and  virtue  who  was  at 
the  same  time  a  friend  to  his  country.  He  was 
a  stranger  in  Philadelphia,  but  had  heard  that 
Mr.  Duche  deserved  that  character ;  so  he 
moved  that  he — Mr.  Duche,  an  Episcopal 
clergyman — be  desired  to  read  prayers  before 
Congress  the  next  morning. 

"  Mr.  Duche  consented,  and  the  next  morning 
read  the  prayers  and  the  Psalter  for  the  7th 
of  September  ;  a  part  of  it  was  the  thirty-fifth 
psalm,  which  seemed  wonderfully  appropriate. 
Do  you  remember  how  it  begins  ?  *  Plead  my 
cause,  O  Lord,  with  them  that  strive  with  me  : 
fight  against  them  that  fight  against  me.  Take 
bold  of  shield  and  buckler,  and  stand  up  for 
mine  help.' " 


C2  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  It  does  seem  wonderfully  appropriate,"  said 
Svelyn.  "  Oh,  I'm  sure  that  God  was  on  the 
side  of  the  patriots,  and  helped  them  greatly 
in  their  hard  struggle  with  their  powerful 
foe  ! " 

"  Yes,  only  by  His  all-powerful  aid  coul  1  our 
liberties  have  been  won,  and  to  Him  be  all  the 
glory  and  the  praise,"  said  Grandma  Elsie, 
gratitude  and  joy  shining  in  her  beautiful 
eyes. 

"  But  that  wasn't  the  Congress  that  signed  the 
Declaration  ? "  "Walter  remarked,  half  inquir 
ingly,  half  in  assertion. 

"No  ;  this  was  in  1774,  and  the  Declaration 
was  not  signed  until  July,  1776,"  replied  his 
mother. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  remarked  Lulu,  "  that  the 
Americans  were  very  slow  in  getting  ready  to 
say  they  would  be  free  from  England — free 
from  British  tyranny." 

"  But  you  know  you're  always  in  a  great 
hurry  to  do  things,  Lu,"  put  in  Grace  softly, 
with  an  affectionate,  admiring  smile  up  into  her 
sister's  face. 

"Yes,  I  believe  you're  right,  Gracie,"  re 
turned  Lulu,  with  a  pleased  laugh  and  giving 
Grace's  hand  a  loving  squeeze. 

"Yes,"  assented  Grandma  Elsie,  "our  people 
were  slow  to  break  with  the  mother  country — as 
they  used  to  call  old  England,  the  land  of  their 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  68 

ancestors  ;  they  bore  long  and  patiently  with 
her,  but  at  last  were  convinced  that  in  that  case 
patience  had  ceased  to  be  a  virtue,  and  liberty 
for  themselves  and  their  children  must  be  se 
cured  at  all  costs." 

"  How  soon  were  they  convinced  of  it,  mam.' 
ma  ?  "  asked  Walter. 

"  The  conviction  came  slowly  to  all,  and  t» 
some  more  slowly  than  to  others,"  she  replied. 
"  Dr.  Franklin,  Samuel  Adams,  and  Patrick  Hen 
ry  w  're  among  the  first  to  see  the  necessity  of 
becoming,  politically,  entirely  free  and  indepen 
dent. 

"  It  is  stated  on  good  authority  that  Patrick 
Henry  in  speaking  of  Great  Britain,  as  early  as 
1773,  said,  'She  loitt  drive  us  to  extremities; 
no  accommodation  will  take  place  ;  hostilities 
will  soon  commence,  and  a  desperate  and 
bloody  touch  it  will  be.' 

"  Some  one,  present  when  the  remark  was 
made,  asked  Mr.  Henry  if  he  thought  the  colo 
nies  strong  enough  to  resist  successfully  the  fleets 
and  armies  of  Great  Britain,  and  he  answered 
that  he  doubted  whether  they  would  be  able  to 
do  so  alone,  *  but  that  France,  Spain,  and  Hol 
land  were  the  natural  enemies  of  Great  Britain.* 

" « Where  will  they  be  all  this  while  ? '  ha 
asked.  '  Do  you  suppose  they  will  stand  by,  idle 
and  indifferent  spectatoi-s  to  the  contest  ?  Will 
Louis  XVI.  be  asleep  all  this  time  ?  Believe  mo. 


64  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

no !  When  Louis  XVI.  shall  be  satisfied,  by  our 
serious  opposition  and  our  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence,  that  all  prospect  of  a  reconciliation  is 
gone,  then,  and  not  till  then,  will  he  furnish  us 
with  arms,  ammunition,  and  clothing  :  and  not 
with  them  only,  but  he  will  send  his  fleets  and 
armies  to  fight  our  battles  for  us  ;  he  will  form 
a  treaty  with  us,  offensive  and  defensive,  against 
our  unnatural  mother.  Spain  and  Holland  will 
join  the  confederation  !  Our  independence  will 
be  established  !  and  we  shall  take  our  stand 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth  ! ' " 

"  And  it  all  happened  so  ;  didn't  it,  mamma  ?  " 
exclaimed  Rosie  exultantly;  "just  as  Patrick 
Henry  predicted." 

"  Yes,"  replied  her  mother,  with  a  proud  and 
happy  smile,  "and  we  have  certainly  taken  our 
place — by  God's  blessing  upon  the  efforts  of 
those  brave  and  gallant  heroes  of  the  revolution 
— as  one  of  the  greatest  nations  of  the  earth. 

"  Yet  not  all  the  credit  should  be  awarded 
them,  but  some  of  it  given  to  their  successors  in 
the  nation's  counsels  and  on  the  fields  of  battle. 
The  foundations  were  well  and  strongly  laid  by 
our  revolutionary  fathers,  and  the  work  well 
carried  on  by  their  successors." 

"  Grandma  Elsie,  what  was  the  stoiy  about 
Lydia  Darrah  ? "  asked  Gracie.  "  I  don't  re 
member  to  have  heard  it." 

*  She  lived  in  Philadelphia  when  the  British 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  65 

were  in  possession  there  during  the  winter  after 
the  battle  of  the  Brandy  wine,"  replied  Mrs.  Tra- 
villa.  "  She  belonged  to  the  Society  of  Friends, 
most  of  whom,  as  you  doubtless  remember,  took 
no  active  part  in  the  war  ;  at  least,  did  none  of 
the  fighting,  though  many  helped  in  other  ways  ; 
but  some  were  Tories,  who  gave  aid  and  comfort 
to  the  enemy  in  other  ways  than  by  the  use  of 
arms." 

"  What  a  shame  !  "  cried  Walter.  "  You  will 
tell  us  about  the  doings  of  some  of  those  when 
you  are  done  with  the  story  of  Lydia  Darrah, 
won't  you,  mamma  ?  " 

"  If  you  all  wish  it,"  she  answered;  then  went 
on  with  her  narrative: 

"Judging  from  her  conduct  at  that  time, 
Lydia  must  have  been  an  ardent  patriot  ;  but 
patriots  and  Tories  alike  had  British  officers 
quartered  upon  them.  The  adjutant-general 
took  up  his  quarters  in  Loxley  House,  the  home 
of  the  Darrahs,  and,  as  it  was  a  secluded  place, 
the  superior  officers  frequently  held  meetings 
there  for  private  conference  on  matters  connected 
with  the  movements  of  the  British  troops." 

"  One  day  the  adjutant-general  told  Mrs.  Dar 
rah  that  such  a  meeting  was  to  be  held  that 
evening,  and  that  he  wanted  the  upper  back 
room  made  ready  for  himself  and  the  friends 
who  would  be  present.  He  added  that  they 
would  be  likely  to  stay  late  and  she  must  be 


66  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

sure  to  see  that  all  her  family  were  early  in  their 
beds. 

"  His  tone  and  manner  led  Mrs.  Darrah  to 
think  something  of  importance  was  going  for 
ward,  and  though  she  did  not  dare  disobey  his 
order,  she  resolved  to  try  to  find  out  what  was 
their  object  in  holding  this  private  night  meet 
ing,  probably  hoping  to  be  able  to  do  some 
thing  to  prevent  the  carrying  out  of  their  plans 
against  the  liberties  of  her  country. 

"She  sent  her  family  to  bed,  according  to 
directions,  before  the  officers  came,  and  after 
admitting  them  retired  to  her  own  couch,  but 
not  to  sleep,  for  her  thoughts  were  busy  with 
conjectures  in  regard  to  the  mischief  they — the 
unwelcome  intruders  into  her  house — might  be 
plotting  against  her  country. 

"  She  had  lain  down  without  undressing  and 
after  a  little  she  rose  and  stole  softly,  in  her 
stocking  feet,  to  the  door  of  the  room  where 
they  were  assembled. 

"All  was  quiet  at  the  moment  when  she 
reached  it.  She  put  her  ear  to  the  keyhole  and 
— doubtless,  with  a  fast  beating  heart — waited 
there,  listening  intently  for  the  sound  of  the 
officers'  voices. 

"  For  a  few  moments  all  was  silence  ;  then  it 
was  broken  by  a  single  voice  reading  aloud  an 
order  from  Sir  William  Howe  for  the  troops  to 
inarch  out  of  the  city  the  next  night  and  make 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  67 

an  attack  upon  Washington's  camp  at  White- 
marsh. 

"  Lydia  waited  to  hear  no  more,  for  that  was 
sufficient,  and  it  would  have  been  dangerous 
indeed  for  her  to  be  caught  there. 

"  She  hastened  back  to  her  own  room  and  again 
threw  herself  on  the  bed  ;  but  not  to  sleep,  as 
you  may  well  imagine. 

"  Presently  the  opening  and  shutting  of  doors 
told  her  that  the  visitors  of  the  adjutant-general 
were  taking  their  departure  ;  then  there  was  a 
rap  on  her  door.  But  she  did  not  answer  it.  It 
was  repeated,  but  still  she  did  not  move  or 
speak ;  but  at  the  third  knock  she  rose,  went  to 
the  door,  and  found  the  adjutant-general  there. 

"  He  informed  her  that  his  friends  had  gone 
and  she  might  now  close  her  house  for  the 
night. 

"  She  did  so,  then  lay  down  again,  but  not  to 
Bleep.  She  lay  thinking  of  the  momentous  secret 
she  had  just  learned,  considering  how  she  might 
help  to  avert  the  threatened  danger  to  the  pa 
triot  army,  and  asking  help  and  guidance  from 
her  heavenly  Father. 

"  Her  prayer  was  heard  ;  she  laid  her  plans, 
then  at  early  dawn  arose.  Waking  her  hus 
band  she  told  him  flour  was  wanted  for  the  fam 
ily  and  she  must  go  immediately  to  the  mill  at 
Frankford  for  it.  Then  taking  a  bag  to  carry 
it  in,  she  started  at  once  on  foot. 


«3  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  At  General  Howe's  headquarters  she  obtained 
*  passport  to  leave  the  city. 

"She  had  a  five  miles'  walk  to  Frankford, 
where  she  left  her  bag  at  the  mill,  and  hurried 
on  toward  the  American  camp  to  deliver  her 
tidings. 

"  It  was  still  quite  early,  but  before  reaching 
the  camp  she  met  an  American  officer,  Lieuten 
ant  Craig,  whom  Washington  had  sent  out  to 
seek  information  in  regard  to  the  doings  of  the 
enemy. 

"Lydia  quickly  told  him  her  story,  then 
hastened  back  to  the  mill  for  her  bag  of  flour 
and  hurried  home  with  it." 

"Mamma,"  exclaimed  Walter,  "how  could 
she  carry  anything  so  big  and  heavy  ? " 

"  Perhaps  it  was  but  a  small  bag."  returned 
his  mother,  with  a  smile.  "  I  never  saw  or  read 
any  statement  as  to  its  size,  and  perhaps  the  joy 
and  thankfulness  she  felt  in  having  been  per 
mitted  and  enabled  to  do  such  sendee  to  the 
cause  of  her  country  may  have  helped  to 
strengthen  her  to  bear  the  burden." 

"What  a  day  it  must  have  been  to  her  !  "  ex 
claimed  Evelyn,  "  hope  and  fear  alternating  in 
her  breast ;  and  how  her  heart  must  have  gone 
up  constantly  in  prayer  to  God  for  his  blessing 
upon  her  bleeding  country." 

"  And  how  it  must  have  throbbed  with  alter 
nating  hope  and  fear  as  she  stood  at  the  window 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  69 

that  cold,  starry  night  and  watched  the  departure 
of  the  British  troops  to  make  the  intended  attack 
upon  Washington  and  his  little  army,"  said 
Rosie.  "  And  again  when  the  distant  roll  of  a 
drum  told  that  they  were  returning." 

"  Yes,"  said  Lulu  ;  "  and  when  the  adjutant- 
general  came  back  to  the  house,  summoned 
Lydia  to  his  room,  and  when  he  got  her  in  there 
shut  and  locked  the  door." 

"  Oh,"  cried  Grace,  "  did  he  know  it  was  she 
that  had  told  of  his  plans  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Travilla  ;  "  from  the  accounts 
I  have  read  he  does  not  seem  to  have  even  sus 
pected  her.  He  invited  her  to  be  seated,  then 
asked,  '  Were  any  of  your  family  up,  Lydia,  on 
the  night  when  I  received  company  in  this 
house  ? '  'No,'  she  replied  ;  *  they  all  retired  at 
eight  o'clock.'  '  It  is  very  strange,'  he  returned. 
*  You  I  know  were  asleep,  for  I  knocked  at  your 
door  three  times  before  you  heard  me,  yet  it  is 
certain  we  were  betrayed.  I  am  altogether  at  a 
loss  to  conceive  who  could  have  given  informa 
tion  to  Washington  of  our  intended  attack.  On 
arriving  near  his  camp,  we  found  his  cannon 
mounted,  his  troops  under  arms,  and  so  prepared 
at  every  point  to  receive  us,  that  we  have  been 
compelled  to  march  back  like  a  parcel  of  fools, 
without  injuring  our  enemy  ! ' ' 

"  I  hope  the  British  did  not  find  out,  before 
they  left  Philadelphia,  who  had  given  the  in- 


70  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

formation  to  the  Americans,  and  take  vengeance 
on  her  ?"  said  Walter. 

"  No,"  replied  his  mother,  "  fearing  that,  she 
had  begged  Lieutenant  Craig  to  keep  her  secret  ; 
which  he  did  ;  and  so  it  has  happened  that  her 
good  deed  finds  no  mention  in  the  histories  of 
that  time  and  is  recorded  only  by  well  authen 
ticated  tradition." 

"  So  all  the  Quakers  were  not  Tories  ?  "  re 
marked  Walter  in  a  satisfied  yet  half  inquiring 
tone. 

"  Oh,  no  indeed  !  "  replied  his  mother,  "  there 
were  ardent  patriots  among  them,  as  among 
people  of  other  denominations.  Nathaniel 
Green — after  Washington  one  of  our  best  and 
greatest  generals — was  of  Quaker  family,  and  I 
have  heard  that  when  his  mother  found  he  was 
not  to  be  persuaded  to  refrain  from  taking  an 
active  part  in  the  straggle  for  freedom,  she  said 
to  him,  *  Well,  Nathaniel,  if  thee  must  fight,  let 
me  never  hear  of  thee  having  a  wound  in  thy 
back ! ' " 

"Ah,  she  must  have  been  brave  and  patri 
otic,"  laughed  Walter.  "  I  doubt  if  she  was  so 
very  sorry  that  her  son  was  determined  to  fight 
for  the  freedom  of  his  country." 

"  No,"  said  Rosie,  "  I  don't  believe  she  was, 
and  I  don't  see  how  she  could  help  feeling  proud 
of  him — so  bright,  brave,  talented,  and  patriotic 
as  he  showed  himself  to  be  all  through  the  war." 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  71 

*'  Yes,"  said  Lulu,  "  and  I  don't  think  he  has 
had  half  the  honors  he  deserved,  though  at 
West  Point  we  saw  a  cannon  with  an  inscription 
on  it  saying  it  had  been  taken  from  the  British 
army  and  presented  by  Congress  to  Major- 
General  Green  as  a  monument  of  their  high 
sense  of  his  services  in  the  revolutionary  war." 

"  Weren't  the  Tories  very  bad  men,  Grandma 
Elsie  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"Not  all  of  them,  my  dear,"  replied  Mrs. 
Travilla,  smiling  lovingly  into  the  sweet, 
though  grave  and  earnest,  little  face ;  "  some 
were  really  conscientiously  opposed  to  war,  even 
when  waged  for  freedom  from  unbearable 
tyranny  and  oppression,  but  were  disposed  to 
be  merely  inactive  witnesses  of  the  struggle, 
eome  of  them  desiring  the  success  of  the 
patriots,  others  that  of  the  king's  troops  ;  then 
there  was  another  set  who,  while  professing 
neutrality,  secretly  aided  the  British,  betraying 
the  patriots  into  their  hands. 

"  Such  were  Carlisle  and  Roberts,  Quakers  of 
that  time,  living  in  Philadelphia.  While  the 
British  were  in  possession  of  the  city  those  two 
men  were  employed  as  secret  agents  in  detecting 
foes  to  the  government,  and  by  their  secret  in 
formation  caused  many  patriots  to  be  arrested 
and  thrown  into  prison.  Lossing  tells  us  that 
Carlisle,  wearing  the  meek  garb  and  deportment 
of  a  Quaker,  was  at  heart  a  Torquemada." 


72  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  And  who  was  Torquemada,  mamma  ?  n  que 
ried  Walter. 

"  A  Dominican  monk  of  Spain,  who  lived  in 
the  times  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and  was 
by  them  appointed  inquisitor-general.  He  or 
ganized  the  Inquisition  throughout  Spain,  drew 
up  the  code  of  procedure,  and  during  sixteen 
years  caused  between  nine  and  ten  thousand 
persons  to  be  burned  at  the  stake." 

"  Mamma  !  what  a  cruel,  cruel  wretch  !  " 
cried  Walter.  "  Oh,  but  I'm  glad  nobody  can 
do  such  cruel  things  in  these  days  !  I  hope 
Roberts  and  Carlisle  weren't  quite  so  wicked  as 
he." 

"  No,  I  should  not  like  to  think  they  would 
have  been  willing  to  go  to  quite  such  lengths, 
though  they  seem  to  have  shown  enough  malig 
nity  toward  their  patriotic  fellow-countrymen  to 
make  it  evident  that  they  had  something  of  the 
spirit  of  the  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  Torquemada. 

"  Though  they  would  not  bear  arms  for  the 
wealth  of  the  Indies,  they  were  ever  ready  to  act 
as  guides  to  those  whose  object  was  to  massacre 
their  fellow-countrymen  ;  and  that  only  because 
they  were  determined  to  be  free." 

"Were  not  some  of  those  in  New  Jersey 
known  as  '  Pine  Robbers,'  Grandma  Elsie  ? " 
asked  Evelyn. 

"  Yes  ;  they  infested  the  lower  part  of  Mon- 
mouth  County,  whence  they  went  on  predatory 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  73 

excursions  into  other  parts  of  the  State,  coming 
upon  the  people  at  night  to  burn,  murder,  plun 
der,  and  destroy.  They  burrowed  caves  in  the 
sandhills  011  the  borders  of  the  swamps,  where 
they  concealed  themselves  and  their  booty." 

"  Did  they  leave  their  hiding-places  only  in 
the  night  time,  mamma  ?  "  asked  Walter. 

"No,"  she  replied,  "they  would  sometimes 
sally  forth  during  the  day  and  attack  the 
farmers  in  their  fields.  So  that  the  men  were 
compelled  to  cany  muskets  and  be  ready  to 
fight  for  their  lives,  while  women  and  children 
were  kept  in  a  constant  state  of  terror." 

"  I  think  I  have  read  that  one  of  the  worst  of 
them  was  a  blacksmith,  living  in  Freehold  ?  " 
remarked  Evelyn,  half  inquiringly. 

"  Yes,  his  name  was  Fenton  ;  he  was  a  very 
wicked  man,  who,  like  many  others  calling 
themselves  Tories,  took  advantage  of  the  dis 
turbance  of  the  times  to  rob  and  murder  his 
fellow-countrymen  ;  he  began  his  career  of  rob 
bery  and  murder  very  early  in  the  war. 

"  One  of  his  first  acts,  as  such,  was  the  plunder 
ing  of  a  tailor's  shop  in  the  township.  A  com 
mittee  of  vigilance  had  been  already  organized, 
and  its  members  sent  Fenton  word  that  if  he  did 
not  return  what  he  had  stolen  he  should  be 
hunted  out  and  shot. 

"  He  was  a  coward,  as  such  villains  almost 
always  are,  and  did  return  the  clothing,  sending 


74  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

with  it  a  written  message,  'I  have  returned 

your rags.  In  a  short  time  I  am  coming  to 

burn  your  barns  and  houses,  and  roast  you  all 
like  a  pack  of  kittens.' 

"  One  summer  night,  shortly  afterward,  he  led 
a  gang  of  desperadoes  like  himself  against  the 
dwelling  of  an  old  man  named  Farr.  There 
were  but  three  persons  in  the  house — the  old 
man,  his  wife,  and  daughter.  They  barricaded 
their  door  and  defended  themselves  for  a  while, 
but  Fenton  broke  in  a  part  of  the  door,  fired 
through  the  hole  at  the  old  man  and  broke  his 
leg.  The  women  could  not  keep  them  out  much 
longer  ;  they  soon  forced  an  entrance,  murdered 
the  old  man  and  woman,  and  badly  wounded  the 
daughter.  She,  however,  made  her  escape,  and 
the  cowardly  ruffians  lied  without  waiting  to 
secure  any  plunder  ;  no  doubt  fearing  she 
would  bring  a  band  of  patriots  to  avenge  the 
slain." 

"  I  hope  that  wretch,  Fenton,  was  soon  caught 
and  well  punished  for  his  robberies  and  mur 
ders  ! "  exclaimed  Lulu. 

"  He  was,"  replied  Grandma  Elsie.  "  The 
Bible  tells  us  that  *  bloody  and  deceitful  men 
shall  not  live  out  half  their  days,'  and  Fenton's 
fate  was  one  amongst  many  to  prove  the  truth 
of  it. 

"  He  had  met  a  young  man  on  his  way  to 
mill,  plundered  and  beaten  him  ;  the  victim 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  75 

can  >d  his  complaint  to  Lee,  and  a  sergeant  and 
two  soldiers  were  detailed  to  capture  or  kill 
Fenlon. 

"  They  used  strategy  and  with  success.  The 
two  soldiers  were  secreted  under  some  straw  in 
the  bottom  of  a  wagon,  the  sergeant  disguised 
himself  as  a  countryman,  and  the  young  man 
took  a  seat  in  the  vehicle.  Then  they  drove  on 
toward  the  mill,  expecting  to  meet  Fenton  on 
the  road.  They  were  passing  a  low  groggery 
among  the  pines,  when  he  came  out  of  it,  pistol 
in  hand,  and  impudently  ordered  them  to 
stop. 

"  They  drew  rein,  and  he  came  nearer,  asking 
if  they  had  brandy  with  them.  They  replied 
that  they  had,  and  handed  him  a  bottle.  Then, 
as  he  lifted  it  to  his  lips,  the  sergeant  silently 
signaled  to  one  of  his  hidden  soldiers,  who  at 
once  rose  from  his  hiding  place  in  the  straw  and 
shot  Fenton  through  the  head.  His  body  was 
then  thrown  into  the  wagon  and  carried  in  tri 
umph  to  Freehold." 

"  The  people  of  that  part  of  the  country  must 
have  felt  a  good  deal  relieved,"  remarked  Rosie. 
"Still  there  were  Fenton's  desperado  compan 
ions  left." 

"Two  of  them — Fagan  and  West — shared 
Fenton's  fate,  being  shot  by  the  exasperated 
people,"  said  her  mother  ;  "  and  West's  body 
was  hung  in  chains,  with  hoop  iron  bands  around 


76  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

it,  on  a  chestnut  tree  hard  by  the  roadside, 
about  a  mile  from  Freehold." 

"  O  Grandma  Elsie,  is  it  there  yet  ? "  asked 
Gracie,  shuddering  with  horror. 

"  No,  dear  child,  that  could  hardly  be  possi 
ble  after  so  many  years — more  than  a  hundred 
you  will  remember  when  you  think  of  it,"  re 
turned  Mrs.  Travilla,  with  a  kindly  reassuring 
smile. 

"  I  hope  papa  will  take  us  to  Freehold,"  said 
Lulu.  "  I  want  to  see  the  battleground." 

"I  feel  quite  sure  he  will,  should  nothing 
happen  to  prevent,"  said  Grandma  Elsie. 

"  Wasn't  it  at  Freehold,  or  in  its  neighbor 
hood,  that  a  Captain  Huddy  was  murdered  by 
those  pine  robbers  ?"  asked  Evelyn. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Grandma  Elsie.  "  It  was  only 
the  other  day  that  I  was  refreshing  my  memory 
in  regard  to  it  by  glancing  over  Lossing's  ac 
count  given  in  his  Field  Book  of  the  Revolu 
tion." 

"  Then  please  tell  us  about  it,  mamma," 
pleaded  Walter. 

"  Very  willingly,  since  you  wish  to  hear  it," 
she  said,  noting  the  look  of  eager  interest  on 
the  young  faces  about  her. 

"  Captain  Huddy  was  an  ardent  patriot  and 
consequently  hated  by  his  Tory  neighbors.  He 
lived  at  a  place  called  Colt's  Neck,  about  five 
miles  from  FreehoJd. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  77 

"  One  evening,  in  the  summer  of  1780,  a  party 
of  some  sixty  refugees,  headed  by  a  mulatto 
named  Titus,  attacked  Huddy's  house.  There 
was  no  one  in  it  at  the  time  but  Huddy  himself, 
and  a  servant  girl,  some  twenty  years  old, 
named  Lucretia  Emmons." 

"  She  wouldn't  be  of  much  use  for  fighting 
men,"  remarked  Walter,  with  a  slight  sniff  of 
contempt. 

"  Perhaps  Captain  Huddy  may  have  thought 
differently,"  replied  his  mother,  with  a  slightly 
amused  smile.  "There  were  several  guns  in  the 
house  which  she  loaded  for  Huddy  while  he 
passed  from  one  window  to  another  firing 
through  them  at  his  foes.  Titus  and  several 
others  were  wounded  ;  then  they  set  fire  to  the 
house  and  Huddy  surrendered. 

"  He  was  taken  on  board  of  a  boat  from  which 
he  jumped  into  the  water  and  escaped,  assisted 
in  so  doing  by  the  fire  of  some  militia  who  were 
in  pursuit  of  the  Tories. 

"About  two  years  later  Huddy  was  in  com 
mand  of  a  block  house  near  the  village  of  Tom's 
River,  when  it  was  attacked  by  some  refugees 
from  New  York,  and,  his  ammunition  giving 
out,  he  was  obliged  to  surrender.  He  and  his 
companions  were  taken  to  New  York,  then  back 
to  Sandy  Hook,  where  they  were  placed  on  board 
a  guard-ship  and  heavily  ironed. 

"  Shortly  afterward  he  was  taken  to  Gravelly 


78  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

Point,  by  sixteen  refugees  under  Captain  Lip- 
pincott,  and  hung  on  a  gallows  made  of  three 
rails. 

"  He  met  his  fate  like  the  brave  man  that  he 
was,  first  calmly  writing  his  will  on  the  head  of 
the  barrel  upon  which  he  was  presently  to  stand 
for  execution. 

"  A  desperate  Tory,  named  Philip  White,  had 
been  killed  while  Huddy  was  a  prisoner  in  New 
York,  and  these  men  falsely  accused  Huddy  of 
having  had  a  share  in  his  death.  After  hanging 
him  that  cruel,  wicked  Lippincott  fastened  to 
his  breast  a  notice  to  the  effect  that  they  had 
killed  Captain  Huddy  in  revenge  for  the  death 
of  Philip  White,  and  that  they  were  determined 
to  hang  man  for  man  while  a  refugee  lived." 

"  Oh,  what  dreadful,  dreadful  things  people 
did  in  those  days  !  "  sighed  Grace.  "  Did  any 
body  venture  to  take  the  body  down  and  bury 
it,  Grandma  Elsie  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Captain  Huddy's  body  was  carried  to 
Freehold  and  buried  with  the  honors  of  war." 

"  And  did  people  care  much  about  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed  !  his  death  caused  great  excite 
ment  and  indignation,  and  Dr.  Woodhull,  the 
Freehold  minister,  who  preached  the  funeral  ser 
mon  from  the  piazza  of  the  hotel,  earnestly  en 
treated  Washington  to  retaliate  in  order  to  pre 
vent  a  repetition  of  such  deeds. 

"  Washington  consented,  but,  ever  merciful, 
first  wrote  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton  that  unless  the 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  79 

murderers  of  Captain  Huddy  were  given  up  he 
should  retaliate. 

"  Clinton  refused,  and  a  young  British  officer, 
Captain  Asgill,  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the 
Americans,  was  selected  by  lot  for  execution. 
Washington,  however,  mercifully  postponed  the 
carrying  out  of  the  sentence,  feeling  much  pity 
and  sympathy  for  the  young  man — doubtless  for 
his  relatives  also  ;  letters  came  from  Europe 
earnestly  entreating  that  Asgill's  life  might  be 
spared  ;  among  them  a  pathetic  one  from  his 
mother,  and  an  intercessory  one  from  the  French 
minister,  Count  de  Vergennes. 

"  These  letters  Washington  sent  to  Congress 
and  that  body  passed  a  resolution,  '  That  the 
commander-in-chief  be,  and  hereby  is,  directed 
to  set  Captain  Asgill  at  liberty.' " 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  our  people  were  far  more 
merciful  than  the  English,"  remarked  Lulu,  with 
a  look  of  patriotic  pride. 

"I  think  that  is  true,"  assented  Grandma 
Elsie, "  not  meaning  to  deny  that  there  are  many 
kindhearted  men  among  the  British  of  to-day,  or 
that  there  were  such  among  them  even  then,  but 
most  of  those  then  in  power  showed  themselves 
to  be  avaricious,  hardhearted,  and  cruel." 

"  Yes,  they  wanted  to  make  slaves  of  the  peo 
ple  hers,"  exclaimed  Lulu  hotly.  "  But  they 
found  that  Americans  wouldn't  be  slaves  ;  that 
rather  than  resign  their  liberty  they  would  die 
fighting  for  it." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

IT  was  still  early  in  the  evening  when  the 
Dolphin  reached  her  wharf  at  Philadelphia, 
where  her  passengers  found  friends  and  relatives 
waiting  to  give  them  a  joyful  reception. 

A  few  days  passed  very  pleasantly  in  visiting 
these  friends  and  places  of  interest  in  the  cit}', 
particularly  such  ae  were  in  one  way  or  another 
connected  with  the  events  of  revolutionary  times. 
Then  they  went  up  the  Delaware  in  their  yacht. 

Their  first  halting-place  would  be  at  Trenton, 
and  naturally  the  talk,  as  they  went  up  the  river, 
was  largely  of  the  revolutionary  events  which 
had  taken  place  there  and  at  other  not  far  dis 
tant  points.  Grandma  Elsie  was  again  the  nar 
rator. 

"In  November  of  1776,"  she  began,  "our 
country's  prospects  looked  very  dark.  On  the 
16th,  Fort  Washington,  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Hudson,  and  near  New  York  City,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy  and  its  garrison  of  nearly 
three  thousand  men  were  made  prisoners  of  war. 

"On  the  20th  Cornwallis  crossed  the  Hudson 
at  Dobbs  Ferry  and  with  his  six  thousand  men 
attacked  Fort  Lee.  The  garrison  hastily  re- 

80 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  81 

treated,  leaving  all  their  baggage  and  military 
stores,  and  joined  the  main  army  at  Hackensack, 
five  miles  away. 

"  Then  Washington,  who  had  with  him  scarce 
ly  three  thousand  men,  began  a  retreat  toward 
the  Delaware,  hoping  to  obtain  reinforcements 
in  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  which  would 
enable  him  to  make  a  stand  against  the  invaders 
and  give  them  battle. 

"  But  his  troops  had  become  much  dispirited 
by  the  many  recent  disasters  to  our  arms,  de 
layed  payment  of  arrears  by  Congress,  causing 
them  great  inconvenience  and  suffering,  and 
lack  of  proper  food  and  clothing,  and  the  pres 
ence  of  the  enemy,  who  now  had  possession  of 
New  Jersey  and  seemed  likely  soon  to  take 
Philadelphia. 

"Just  at  that  time,  as  I  have  said,  there 
seemed  little  hope  for  our  country.  Washington's 
army  was  dwindling  very  rapidly,  men  whose 
terms  of  enlistment  had  expired  refusing  to  serve 
any  longer,  so  that  he  had  but  twenty-two  hun 
dred  under  his  command  when  he  crossed  the 
Delaware,  and  two  days  later  not  more  than 
seventeen  hundred  ;  indeed,  scarcely  more  than 
a  thousand  on  whom  he  could  rely. 

"He  wrote  to  General  Lee,  who  had  been  left 
at  White  Plains  with  nearly  three  thousand  men, 
asking  him  to  lead  his  division  into  New  Jersey, 
to  reinforce  his  rapidly  melting  army.  Lee 


82  ELSIE'S  VACATION, 

paid  no  attention  to  the  request  and  Washing 
ton  sent  him  a  positive  command  to  do  what  he 
had  before  requested. 

"  Lee  obeyed  very  slowly,  and  while  on  his 
way  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  enemy.** 

"  Served  him  right  for  disobeying  Washing 
ton  ! "  growled  Walter. 

"  There  could  be  no  excuse  for  such  disobedi 
ence,"  continued  Grandma  Elsie  ;  "and  one  feels 
no  sympathy  for  Lee  in  reading  of  his  sudden 
seizure  by  the  British,  who  carried  him  off  in 
such  haste  that  he  had  no  time  to  dress  but  was 
taken  bareheaded  and  in  blanket  coat  and  slip 
pers." 

"  I  doubt  if  his  capture  was  a  loss  to  the  Amer 
ican  cause,"  remarked  Rosie. 

"No,"  said  her  mother;  "though  much  de 
plored  at  the  time,  I  have  no  doubt  it  was  really 
for  the  good  of  the  cause.  General  Sullivan 
succeeded  Lee  in  command  and  presently  joined 
Washington  with  his  forces." 

"  I  don't  see  how  Washington  could  have 
patience  with  so  many  disappointments  and 
delays,"  said  Lulu.  "  Didn't  he  ever  give  way 
to  despair,  even  for  a  little  while,  Grandma 
Elsie  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  seen  the  least  intimation  of  it," 
replied  Mrs.  Travilla.  "  He  is  said  to  have 
been  at  this  time  firm,  calm,  undaunted,  holding 
fast  to  his  faith  in  the  final  triumph  of  the 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  83 

good  cause  for  which  he  was  toiling  and 
striving. 

"  There  seemed  to  be  nothing  but  the  Dela 
ware  between  the  enemy  and  his  conquest  of 
Philadelphia  ;  the  freezing  of  the  river  so  that 
the  British  could  pass  over  it  on  the  ice  might 
occur  at  any  time.  Some  one  asked  Washing 
ton  what  he  would  do  were  Philadelphia  to  be 
taken.  He  answered,  '  We  will  retreat  beyond 
the  Susquehanna  River,  and  thence,  if  necessary, 
to  the"  Alleghany  Mountains.'  Doubtless  he 
was  even  then  planning  the  masterly  movements 
of  his  forces  that  presently  drove  the  enemy 
from  Trenton  and  Princeton." 

"Didn't  the  people  of  Philadelphia  try  to  be 
ready  to  defend  themselves  and  their  city, 
mamma  ?  "  asked  Walter. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied  ;  "  Congress  gave  the 
command  there,  with  almost  unlimited  power, 
to  General  Putnam  ;  then  appointing  a  com 
mittee  of  three  to  act  for  them,  they  adjourned 
to  reassemble  at  Baltimore. 

"  In  the  meantime  Washington  was  getting 
ready  for  the  striking  of  his  intended  blows  in 
New  Jersey. 

"It  would  seem  that  General  Howe,  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  British  forces,  had 
planned  to  despatcli  Cornwallis  up  the  Hudson 
to  the  assistance  of  Burgoyne,  who  was  about  to 
invade  our  country  from  Canada.  But  Corn- 


84  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

wallis  had  a  strong  desire  to  capture  Phila. 
delphia,  and  probably  no  doubt  that  he  could  do 
so  if  allowed  to  cany  out  his  plans,  and  to  that 
Howe  consented. 

"Cornwallis  showed  but  little  skill  in  the 
arrangement  of  his  forces,  scattering  them  here 
and  there  in  detachments  from  New  Bruns 
wick  to  the  Delaware  and  down  that  stream  to 
a  point  below  Burlington.  His  military  stores, 
and  his  strongest  detachment,  were  at  New 
Brunswick.  The  last  consisting  of  a  troop  of 
light  horse  with  about  fifteen  hundred  Hessians. 

"  Washington  decided  to  surprise  those  troops 
while  at  the  same  time  Generals  Ewing  and 
Cadwalader,  with  the  Pennsylvania  militia, 
were  directed  to  attack  the  posts  at  Bordentown. 
Black  Horse,  Burlington,  and  Mount  Holly. 
Cadwalader  was  to  cross  near  Bristol,  Ewing 
below  Trenton  falls,  while  Washington,  with 
Generals  Greene  and  Sullivan,  and  Colonel  Knox 
of  the  artillery,  was  to  lead  the  main  body  of 
Continental  troops  and  cross  the  Delaware  at 
M'Conkey's  Ferry. 

"  Washington  was  very  anxious  to  save  Phila 
delphia,  which  Cornwallis  was  aiming  to  capture, 
and  felt  sure  of  taking  without  any  great 
difficulty,  after  crossing  the  Delaware,  since  he 
had  heard  that  the  people  there  were  for  the 
king  almost  to  a  man.  So  sure  was  he  indeed 
that  the  victory  would  be  an  easy  one  that  he 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  So 

had  gone  back  to  his  headquarters  in  New  York 
and  prepared  to  return  to  England. 

"  Putnam,  in  Philadelphia,  had  heard  of  Wash 
ington's  intended  attack  upon  the  British  at 
Trenton,  and  to  assist  him  sent  Colonel  Griffin, 
at  the  head  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  militia, 
across  from  Philadelphia  to  New  Jersey  with 
directions  to  make  a  diversion  in  favor  of  the 
Americans  by  marching  to  Mount  Holly  as  if 
intending  an  attack  upon  the  British  troops 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Donop  at  Bor- 
dentown. 

"Donop  fell  into  the  trap,  moved  against 
Griffin  with  his  whole  force  of  two  thousand 
men,  and,  as  Griffin  retreated  before  him,  fol 
lowed  ;  then,  secure  like  Cornwallis  and  other 
of  the  English  officers  in  the  belief  that  the 
Americans  were  well  nigh  subdued  already,  and 
that  when  once  Philadelphia  should  fall,  resist 
ance  would  be  about  at  an  end,  moved  his 
troops  in  so  dilatory  a  manner  that  he  was  two 
days  in  returning  to  his  post." 

"  Humph  !  they  were  mightily  mistaken  in 
their  estimate  of  our  people,  weren't  they, 
mamma  ?  "  exclaimed  Walter. 

"  I  think  they  were  themselves  soon  convinced 
of  that,"  she  answered  with  a  smile  ;  then  con 
tinued  her  story. 

"  Washington  selected  Christmas  night  as  the 
\irne  for  his  contemplated  attack  upon  the 


86  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

British  at  Trenton.  It  was,  as  he  well  knew, 
the  habit  of  the  Germans  to  celebrate  that  day 
with  feasting  and  drinking,  and  such  being  the 
case,  he  felt  that  he  might  reasonably  expect  to 
find  them  under  the  influence  of  intoxicating 
drinks,  therefore  unfit  for  a  successful  resistance. 

"  The  river  had  been  free  from  ice,  but  in  the 
last  twenty-four  hours  before  the  time  appointed 
for  the  expedition  the  weather  changed,  grow 
ing  very  much  colder,  so  that  the  water  was 
filled  with  floating  ice,  greatly  increasing  the 
difficulty  and  danger  of  crossing  ;  a  storm  of 
sleet  and  snow  set  in  too,  and  the  night  was 
dark  and  gloomy. 

"Still  the  little  army  was  undaunted;  they 
paraded  at  M'Conkey's  Ferry  at  dusk,  expecting 
to  reach  Trenton  by  midnight  ;  but  so  slow  and 
perilous  was  the  crossing  that  it  was  nearly  four 
o'clock  when  at  last  they  mustered  on  the  Jersey 
shore. 

"  It  was  now  too  late  to  attack  under  cover  of 
the  darkness,  as  bad  been  Washington's  plan.'* 

"  Excuse  me,  mamma,  but  surely  it  would  be 
still  dark  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning?" 
Walter  said  half  inquiringly. 

"  Yes,  my  son,  but  you  must  remember  they 
had  crossed  at  M'Conkey's  Ferry,  which  is  eight 
miles  higher  up  the  river  than  is  Trenton,  so 
that  they  had  that  distance  to  march  before  they 
could  make  their  attack. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  87 

"  Washington  divided  his  forces,  leading  one 
portion  himself  by  the  upper  road, — Generals 
Greene,  Mercer,  and  Lord  Stei'ling  accompanying 
him, — and  giving  Sullivan  command  of  the  other, 
which  was  to  approach  the  town  by  another  road 
leading  along  the  river. 

"  The  two  arrived  at  Trenton  about  the  same 
time,  having  marched  so  silently  that  the  enemy 
was  unaware  of  their  approach  till  they  were 
but  a  short  distance  from  the  picket  guards  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  town. 

"There  was  a  brisk  skirmish  then,  the  Hes 
sians  retreating  toward  their  main  body,  firing 
as  they  went  from  behind  the  houses,  while  the 
Americans  pursued  them  closely." 

"  Then  the  Hessians  weren't  drunk  as  Wash 
ington  expected,  were  they,  Grandma  Elsie  ?  " 
asked  Grace. 

"Well-authenticated  tradition  says  they 
were,"  replied  Mrs.  Travilla  ;  "  that  they  had 
been  carousing  through  the  night,  Rail  himself 
feasting,  drinking,  and  playing  cards  at  the 
house  of  Abraham  Hunt,  who  had  invited  him 
and  other  officers  to  a  Christmas  supper.  They 
had  been  playing  all  night  and  regaling  them 
selves  with  wine. 

"A  Tory  on  the  Pennington  road  saw,  about 
dawn,  the  approach  of  the  Americans  under 
Washington  and  sent  a  messenger  with  a  note 
to  warn  Rail.  But  a  negro  servant  who  had 


88  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

been  stationed  as  warden  at  the  door  refused  to 
allow  the  messenger  to  pass  in,  saying,  *  The 
gemman  can't  be  disturbed.' 

"  It  seems  that  the  messenger  was  aware  of 
the  contents  of  the  note,  or  at  least  that  it  was 
a  warning  of  the  approach  of  the  Americans,  so, 
being  foiled  in  his  purpose  of  seeing  Rail  him 
self,  he  handed  the  note  to  the  negro  with  an 
order  to  carry  it  at  once  to  Colonel  Rail. 

"The  negro  obeyed,  but  Rail,  excited  with 
wine  and  interested  in  his  game,  merely  thrust 
the  note  into  his  pocket  and  went  on  with  his 
deal. 

"  But  presently  the  roll  of  the  American  drums, 
the  rattle  of  musketry,  the  tramp  of  horses,  and 
the  rumble  of  heavy  gun-carriages  fell  upon 
his  drowsy  ear,  and  in  a  moment  he  was  wide 
awake,  the  cards  were  dropped,  he  sprang  to  his 
feet,  then  rushed  away  to  his  quarters  and 
mounted  his  horse  with  all  speed  ;  but  at  that 
time  his  soldiers  were  being  driven  by  the  Amer 
icans  as  chaff  before  the  wind. 

"The  Hessians'  drums  were  beating  to  arms, 
and  a  company  rushed  out  of  the  barracks  to 
protect  the  patrol.  Washington's  troops  had 
begun  the  fight  with  an  attack  upon  the  outer 
most  picket  on  the  Pennington  road,  and  Stark, 
with  the  van  of  Sullivan's  party,  gave  three 
cheers  and  rushed  upon  the  enemy's  pickets  near 
the  river  with  their  bayonets,  and  they,  aston- 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  89 

ished  at  the  suddenness  and  fury  of  the  charge, 
were  seized  with  a  panic  and  fled  in  confusion 
across  the  Assanpink. 

"  Both  divisions — the  one  commanded  by 
Washington,  the  other  under  Sullivan — now 
pressed  forward  so  rapidly,  and  with  such  zeal 
and  determination,  that  the  Hessians  were  not 
allowed  to  form.  Xor  could  they  get  possession 
of  the  two  cannon  in  front  of  Rail's  quarters. 

"  The  Americans  themselves  were  forming  in 
line  of  battle  when  Rail  made  his  appearance, 
reeling  in  his  saddle  as  if  drunk, — as  I  presume 
he  was, — received  a  report,  then  rode  up  in  front 
of  his  regiment  and  called  out,  *  Forward,  march ; 
advance,  advance  ! ' 

"  But  before  his  order  could  be  obeyed  a  party 
of  Americans  hurried  forward  and  dismounted 
his  two  cannon,  accomplishing  the  feat  with 
out  injury  to  themselves  except  that  Captains 
William  Washington  and  James  Monroe  were 
slightly  wounded." 

"  And  where  was  Genei'al  Washington  just 
then,  mamma  ?  "  asked  Walter. 

"  He  was  there  in  the  midst  of  the  fighting, 
and  exposed  to  the  same  dangers  as  his  troops. 
It  was  under  his  personal  direction  that  a  battery 
of  six  guns  was  opened  upon  two  regiments  of 
Hessians  less  than  three  hundred  yards  distant. 
Washington  was  then  near  the  front,  a  little  to 
the  right,  where  he  could  be  easily  seen  by  the 


90  ELSIE'S  VACATION". 

enemy,  and  made  a  target  for  their  balls.  But 
though  his  horse  was  wounded,  he  remained  un 
hurt." 

"  Oh,"  cried  Evelyn  with  enthusiasm, "  surely 
God  protected  him  and  turned  aside  the  balls, 
that  America  might  not  lose  the  one  on  whom  so 
much  depended  !  the  father  of  his  country,  the 
ardent  patriot,  the  best  of  men  and  greatest  of 
generals,  as  I  do  certainly  believe  he  was." 

"  I  am  proud  that  Washington  was  a  country 
man  of  mine,"  exclaimed  Rosie,  her  eyes  spark 
ling. 

"  Yes,  we  are  all  proud  of  our  Washington," 
said  Lulu.  "But  what  more  can  you  tell  us 
about  the  battle  of  Trenton,  Grandma  Elsie  ?  " 

"  Rail  drew  back  his  two  regiments  as  if 
intending  to  reach  the  road  to  Princeton  by 
turning  Washington's  left,"  continued  Mrs.  Tra- 
villa  in  reply.  "  To  prevent  that,  an  American 
regiment  was  thrown  in  front  of  him.  It 
seemed  likely  that  he  might  have  forced  a  pas 
sage  through  U,  but  his  troops,  having  collected 
much  plunder  in  Trenton  and  wishing  to  hold  on 
to  it,  persuaded  him  to  try  to  recover  the  town. 

"  He  made  the  attempt,  but  was  charged  im 
petuously  by  the  Americans  and  driven  back 
further  than  before  ;  and  in  that  movement  he 
himself  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  musket 
ball.  His  men  were  thrown  into  confusion,  and 
presently  surrendered. 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  91 

"Then  Baylor  rode  up  to  Washington  and 
announced,  '  Sir,  the  Hessians  have  surren 
dered.'  " 

"  Baylor  ?  "  repeated  Walter.  "  Who  was  he, 
mamma  ?  " 

"  One  of  Washington's  aids,"  she  replied, 
"  In  the  first  year  of  the  war  he  was  made  an 
aid-de-camp  to  General  Washington  and  in  that 
capacity  was  with  him  in  this  battle." 

"  How  I  envy  him  !  "  exclaimed  Lulu. 

"  I  d6  think  that  if  I'd  been  a  man  living  in 
those  days,"  said  Walter,  "  I'd  have  cared  for 
no  greater  honor  than  being  aid  to  our  Wash 
ington." 

His  mother's  only  reply  was  a  proudly  affec 
tionate  look  and  smile  as  she  went  on  with  her 
story. 

"  There  was  another  regiment,  under  Knyphau- 
sen,  which  had  been  ordered  to  cover  the  flank. 
These  tried  to  reach  the  Assanpink  bridge,  but 
lost  time  in  an  effort  to  get  two  cannon  out  of 
the  morass,  and  when  they  reached  the  bridge 
the  Americans  were  guarding  it  on  both  sides. 
They  tried  to  ford  the  river,  but  without  suc 
cess,  and  presently  surrendered  to  Lord  Stirling, 
with  the  privilege  of  keeping  their  swords  and 
their  private  baggage.  That  ended  the  battle, 
leaving  the  Americans  with  nearly  a  thousand 
prisoners  in  their  hands. 

"  Over  two  hundred  of  the  Hessians  had  es- 


92  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

caped — some  to  Princeton,  others  to  Bordentown. 
There  were  a  hundred  and  thirty  absent,  having 
been  sent  out  on  some  expedition,  and  seventeen 
were  killed.  The  battle  had  lasted  thirty-five 
minutes,  and  the  Americans  had  not  lost  a 
man." 

"  It  was  wonderful,  I  think  !  "  said  Evelyn,  in 
her  earnest  way  ;  "  certainly  God  helped  our 
patriotic  forefathers  or  they  never  could  have 
succeeded  in  their  conflict  with  so  powerful  a 
foe  as  Great  Britain  was  even  then." 

"  It  was  all  of  God's  great  goodness  to  this 
land  and  people,"  said  Grandma  Elsie.  "  Had 
there  been  in  that  action  defeat  to  our  arms  in 
stead  of  victory,  we  would  not — so  soon  at 
least — have  become  the  free  and  powerful  nation 
•\ve  are  to-day.  Congress  lavished  praise  upon 
General  Washington,  but  he  replied,  '  You  pay 
me  compliments  as  if  the  merit  of  the  affair  was 
due  solely  to  me  ;  but  I  assure  you  the  other 
general  officers  who  assisted  me  in  the  plan  and 
execution  have  full  as  good  a  right  to  the  en 
comiums  as  myself.' " 

"  Possibly  that  was  only  just,"  remarked  Rosie, 
"but  it  strikes  me  as  very  generous." 

"  It  was  just  like  Washington,"  said  Walter  ; 
"  our  Washington  !  I'm  ever  so  proud  of 
him  ! " 

"  As  we  all  are,"  said  his  mother  ;  "  but  we 
must  not  forget  to  give  the  glory  of  that  victory, 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  93 

and  all  others,  and  also  of  our  final  success,  to 
him  who  is  the  God  of  battles,  and  by  whose 
strength  and  help  our  freedom  was  won.  As 
Bancroft  says,  '  Until  that  hour  the  life  of  the 
United  States  flickered  like  a  dying  flame,'  but 
God  had  appeared  for  their  deliverance  and 
from  that  time  the  hopes  of  the  almost  despair 
ing  people  revived,  while  the  confident  expecta 
tions  of  their  enemies  were  dashed  to  the  ground. 
Lord  George  Germain  exclaimed  after  he  heard 
the  news,  '  All  our  hopes  were  blasted  by  the 
unhappy  affair  at  Trenton.'  " 

"  Unhappy  affair  indeed  ! "  exclaimed  Walter. 
"  What  a  heartless  wretch  he  must  have  been, 
mamma  !  " 

"  And  how  our  poor  soldiers  did  suffer  !  " 
sighed  Lulu  ;  "  it  makes  my  heart  ache  just  to 
think  of  it !  " 

"And  mine,"  said  Grandma  Elsie.  "It  is 
wonderful  how  much  the  poor  fellows  were 
willing  to  endure  in  the  hope  of  attaining  free 
dom  for  themselves  and  their  country. 

"  Thomas  Rodney  tells  us  that  on  the  night  of 
the  attack  upon  Trenton  of  which  we  have  been 
talking,  while  Rail  caroused  and  played  cards 
beside  his  warm  fire,  our  poor  soldiers  were 
toiling  and  suffering  with  cold  and  nakedness, 
facing  wind  and  sleet  in  the  defence  of  their 
country. 

"The  night,"  he  says,  "was  as  severe  anight 


94  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

as  ever  I  saw  ;  the  frost  was  sharp,  the  current 
difficult  to  stem,  the  ice  increasing,  the  wind 
high,  and  at  eleven  it  began  to  snow.  It  was 
three  in  the  morning  of  the  26th  before  the 
troops  and  cannon  were  all  over,  and  another 
hour  passed  before  they  could  be  formed  on  the 
Jersey  side.  A  violent  northeast  storm  of  wind, 
sleet,  and  hail  set  in  as  they  began  their  nine 
miles'  march  to  Trenton,  against  an  enemy  in 
the  best  condition  to  fight.  The  weather  was 
terrible  for  men  clad  as  they  were,  and  the 
ground  slipped  under  their  feet.  For  a  mile  and 
a  half  they  had  to  climb  a  steep  hill,  from  which 
they  descended  to  the  road  that  ran  for  about 
three  miles  between  hills  and  forests  of  hickory, 
ash,  and  black  oak." 

"  Oh,  how  brave  and  patriotic  they  were  !  " 
exclaimed  Rosie.  "  I  remember  reading  that 
their  route  might  be  easily  traced  by  the  blood 
on  the  snow  from  the  feet  of  the  poor  fellows, 
who  had  broken  shoes  or  none.  Oh,  what  a 
shame  it  was  that  Congress  and  the  people  let 
them — the  men  who  were  enduring  so  much  and 
fighting  so  bravely  for  the  liberty  of  both — 
bear  such  hardships  !  " 

"  It  was,  indeed,"  sighed  Grandma  Elsie  ;  "  it 
always  gives  me  a  heartache  to  think  of  those 
poor  fellows  marching  through  the  darkness  and 
that  dreadful  storm  of  snow,  sleet,  and  bitter 
wind  and  only  half  clothed.  Just  think  of  it  I  a 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  95 

continuous  march  of  fifteen  miles  through  dark 
ness,  over  such  a  road,  the  storm  directly  in 
their  faces.  They  reached  their  destination 
stiff  with  cold,  yet  rushed  at  once  upon  the  foe, 
fighting  bravely  for  freedom  for  themselves  and 
their  children.  '  Victory  or  death,'  was  the 
watchword  Washington  had  given  them." 

"  Were  they  from  all  the  States,  mamma  ?  " 
asked  Walter. 

"  They  were  principally  Pennsylvania,  Vir 
ginia,  a'nd  New  England  troops,  "  she  answered. 
"  Grant,  the  British  commander  in  New  Jersey, 
knew  of  the  destitution  of  our  troops  but  felt  no 
fear  that  they  would  really  venture  to  attack 
him  ;  persuading  himself  that  they  would  not 
cross  the  river  because  the  floating  ice  would 
make  it  a  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  thing  for 
them  to  return. 

"'Besides,' he  wrote  on  the  21st,  'Washing 
ton's  men  have  neither  shoes  nor  stockings  nor 
blankets,  are  almost  naked,  and  dying  of  cold 
and  want  of  food.' " 

"  And  didn't  Rail  say  the  Americans  wouldn't 
dare  to  come  against  him  ?  "  asked  Walter. 

"  Yes  ;  his  reply  to  a  warning  of  danger  of 
being  attacked  was, '  Let  them  come  ;  what  need 
of  intrenchments  !  We  will  at  them  with  the 
bayonet ! '  " 

"  And  when  the}r  did  come  he  was  killed  ?  " 

"Yes,  mortally  wounded ;  taken  by  his  aids  and 


96  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

servant  to  his  quarters  at  the  house  of  a  Quaker 
named  Stacey  Potts  ;  and  there  Washington  and 
Greene  visited  him  just  before  leaving  Trenton." 
"  Thev  knew  he  was  dving,  mamma?  " 

•/  v          O? 

"  Yes,  and,  as  Lossiug  tells  us,  Washington 
offered  such  consolation  as  a  soldier  and  Chris 
tian  can  bestow." 

"  It  was  very  kind,  and  I  hope  Rail  appreci 
ated  it." 

"  It  would  seem  that  he  did,  as  the  historian 
tells  us  it  soothed  the  agonies  of  the  expiring 
hero." 


CHAPTER  VH. 

FROM  Trenton  Grandma  Elsie,  the  captain, 
*>nd  their  young  charges  went  on  to  Princeton, 
inhere  they  received  a  most  joyful  welcome 
from  Harold  and  Herbert  Travilla,  now  spend 
ing  their  last  year  at  the  seminary. 

Their  mothe?  had  written  to  them  of  the 
intended  visit,  and  all  necessary  arrangements 
had  been  made.  Carriages  were  in  waiting,  and 
shortly  after  their  arrival  the  whole  party  were 
on  their  way  to  the  battleground,  where  the  at 
tention  of  the  young  people  was  drawn  to  the 
various  points  of  interest,  particularly  the  spot 
where  fell  General  Mercer. 

"  The  general's  horse  was  wounded  in  the  leg 
by  a  musket  ball,"  explained  Harold,  in  reply 
to  a  question  from  his  little  brother  ;  "he  dis 
mounted,  and  was  rallying  his  troops,  when  a 
British  soldier  felled  him  to  the  ground  by  a 
blow  from  a  musket. 

"Be  was  supposed  to  be  Washington.  A  shout 
was  raised, '  The  rebel  general  is  taken  ! '  and  at 
that  others  of  the  enemy  rushed  to  the  spot 
calling  out,  '  Call  for  quarter,  you  d — d  rebel  ! ' 

" '  I  am  no  rebel  ! "  Mercer  answered  indig- 

«7 


98  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

nantly,  though  half  a  dozen  of  their  bayonets 
were  at  his  breast ;  and  instead  of  calling  for 
quarter  he  continued  to  fight,  striking  at  them 
with  his  sword  till  they  bayoneted  him  and  left 
him  for  dead. 

"He  was  not  dead,  however,  but  mortally 
wounded. 

"After  the  British  had  retreated  he  was 
carried  to  the  house  of  Thomas  Clark,"  con 
tinued  Harold,  pointing  out  the  building  as  he 
spoke,  "  where  he  lingered  in  great  pain  till  the 
12th  and  then  died." 

"  I'm  glad  it  wasn't  Washington,"  said  Wal 
ter. 

"  Was  Washington  hurt  at  all,  papa  ?  "  asked 
Grace. 

"  No,  though  exposed  to  the  hottest  fire  he 
escaped  without  injury,"  replied  the  captain. 
"  God  our  Heavenly  Father  preserved  him  for 
his  great  work — the  salvation  of  our  country. 
'Man  is  immortal  till  his  work  is  done' — and 
Washington's  was  not  done  till  years  after 
ward." 

"  Not  even  when  the  war  was  over  ;  for  he 
was  our  first  president,  I  remember/ '  said 
Lulu. 

"  Yes,"  replied  her  father,  "  and  he  did  much 
for  his  country  in  that  capacity. 

"The  night  before  this  battle  of  Princeton  he 
and  his  army  were  in  a  critical  situation,  the 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  99 

British  being  fully  equal  in  numbers  and  their 
troops  well  disciplined,  while  about  half  of 
Washington's  army  was  composed  of  raw 
militia — so  that  a  general  engagement  the  next 
day  would  be  almost  sure  to  result  in  defeat  to 
the  Americans. 

"  Washington  called  a  council  of  war.  It  was 
he  himself  who  proposed  to  withdraw  from  their 
present  position — on  the  high  ground  upon  the 
southern  bank  of  the  Assanpiuk — before  dawn 
of  the  next  morning,  and,  by  a  circuitous  march 
to  Princeton,  get  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  attack 
them  at  that  place,  and  if  successful  march  on 
to  New  Brunswick  and  take  or  destroy  his  stores 
there. 

"  The  great  difficulty  in  the  way  was  that  the 
ground  was  too  soft,  from  a  thaw,  to  make  it 
safe  and  easy  to  move  their  forty  pieces  of 
cannon. 

"  But  a  kind  Providence  removed  that  hin 
drance,  the  weather  suddenly  becoming  so  ex 
tremely  cold  that  in  two  hours  or  less  the  roads 
were  hard  enough  for  the  work." 

"As  Lossing  says,"  remarked  Grandma  Elsie, 
"  '  The  great  difficulty  was  overcome  by  a  power 
mightier  than  that  of  man.  Our  fathers  were 
fighting  for  God-given  rights  and  it  was  by  his 
help  they  at  last  succeeded.' " 

"  What's  the  rest  of  the  story  ?  "  asked  Wal 
ter.  "  How  did  Washington  and  his  army  slip 


100  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

away  without  the  British  seeing  them?  For  I 
suppose  they  had  sentinels  awake  and  out." 

"  Washington  had  a  number  of  camp  fires 
lighted  along  his  front,"  replied  Harold,  to 
whom  the  question  seemed  to  be  addressed, 
"making  them  of  the  fences  near  at  hand. 
That  made  the  British  think  he  was  encamped 
for  the  night,  and  Cornwallis,  when  some  one 
urged  him  to  make  an  attack  that  night,  said  he 
would  certainly  'catch  the  fox  in  the  morning.' 
The  fox,  of  course,  was  "Washington,  but  he 
didn't  catch  him.  It  was  not  till  dawn  he  dis 
covered  that  the  fox  had  eluded  him  and  slipped 
away,  fleeing  so  silently  that  the  British  did  not 
know  in  what  direction  he  had  gone  till  they 
heard  the  boom  of  the  cannon  in  the  fight  here. 

"  Cornwallis  thought  it  was  thunder,  but  Sir 
William  Erskine  recognized  it  as  what  it  was  and 
exclaimed, '  To  arms,  General !  Washington  has 
outgeneraled  us.  Let  us  fly  to  the  rescue  at 
Princeton.'  " 

"  How  long  did  the  battle  last  ?  "  queried 
Walter. 

"The  fight  right  here  lasted  about  fifteen 
minutes,  but  was  yery  severe,"  replied  his 
brother.  "  Then  Washington  pushed  on  to 
Princeton,  and  in  a  ravine  near  the  college  had 
another  sharp  fight  with  the  Fifty-fifth  British 
regiment." 

"And  whipped  them  too?" 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  101 

"  Yes  ;  they  were  soon  flying  toward  Bruns 
wick,  the  Fortieth  regiment  going  along  with 
them. 

"  A  part  of  a  regiment  was  still  in  the  college 
buildings,  and  Washington  had  some  cannon 
placed  in  proper  position,  then  began  firing  on 
them.  One  of  the  balls — it  is  said  to  have  been 
the  first — passed  into  the  chapel  and  through  the 
head  of  a  portrait  of  George  the  Second  that 
hung  in  a  large  frame  on  the  wall.  A  few  more 
shots  were  fired,  and  then  the  Princeton  militia, 
and  some  other  daring  fellows,  burst  open  a  door 
of  Nassau  Hall  and  called  upon  the  troops  there 
to  surrender,  which  they  did  promptly." 

"  And  Cornwallis  had  not  reached  there  yet  ?  " 
"Walter  said  interrogatively. 

"  No,"  returned  Harold,  "  and  when  he  did 
arrive  he  found  that  the  battle  was  over,  and 
Washington,  with  his  victorious  troops  and 
prisoners,  had  already  left  the  town  and  was  in 
hot  pursuit  of  the  fleeing  Fortieth  and  Fifty-fifth 
regiments." 

"  And  our  poor  fellows  so  tired  and  cold  !  " 
sighed  Eva. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  captain,  "  they  had  fought  at 
Trenton  on  the  26th,  after  being  up,  probably, 
all  night,  getting  across  the  river,  had  spent  the 
next  night  in  marching  upon  Princeton  and  the 
day  in  fighting  ;  so  that  they  must  have  been 
terribly  fatigued  even  had  they  had  the  wann 


102  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

clothing  afid  nourishing  food  they  needed  ;  but 
less  than  half  of  them  had  been  able  to  procure 
any  breakfast  or  dinner  ;  and,  as  you  all  know, 
many  of  them  were  without  shoes  or  stockings. 
Ah,  how  we  should  prize  the  liberty  which  was 
so  dearly  bought !  " 

"So  to  save  his  army,"  resumed  Harold, 
"  Washington  refrained  from  an  effort  to  seize 
the  rich  prize  at  New  Brunswick,  and  let  them 
rest  that  night  and  refresh  themselves  with  food; 
then  retired  to  his  winter  quarters  at  Morris- 
town. 

"  Now,  good  people,  if  you  are  ready  to  retrace 
your  steps,  let  us  go  back  and  look  at  the  town 
souvenirs  of  the  revolution  ;  among  them  the 
portrait  of  Washington  in  the  frame  that  used 
to  hold  that  of  George  the  Second." 

Our  friends  made  but  a  short  stay  at  Prince 
ton,  leaving  that  evening,  and  the  next  day  vis 
ited  the  scene  of  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  The 
captain  gave  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  movements  of 
the  opposing  armies,  as  he  did  so  pointing  out 
the  various  positions  of  the  different  corps,  de 
scribing  Lee's  disgraceful  conduct  at  the  begin 
ning  of  the  fight,  telling  of  the  just  indignation 
of  Washington,  his  stern  reproof,  Lee's  angry 
rejoinder,  and  then  with  what  consummate  skill 
and  despatch  his  errors  were  repaired  by  the 
general-in-chief — the  retreating,  almost  routed, 
troops  rallied,  and  order  brought  out  of  conf  u- 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  103 

sion,  and  how  fearlessly  he  exposed  himself  to 
the  iron  storm  while  giving  his  orders  so  that 
that  patriot  army,  which  had  been  so  near  de 
struction,  within  half  an  hour  was  drawn  up  in 
battle  array  and  ready  to  meet  the  foe. 

"  It  was  a  very  hot  day,  wasn't  it,  papa  ?  " 
asked  Lulu. 

"  One  of  the  hottest  of  the  season,"  replied 
her  father,  "ninety-six  degrees  in  the  shade; 
and  the  sun  slew  his  victims  on  both  sides." 

"  Don't  you  think  Lee  was  a  traitor,  Captain?  " 
queried  Evelyn. 

"  Either  that  or  insane.  I  think  it  would 
have  been  a  happy  thing  for  America  if  both  he 
and  Gaines  had  remained  in  their  own  land. 
They  did  the  American  cause  far  more  harm 
than  good.  Though  I  by  no  means  accuse 
Gaines  of  treachery,  but  he  was  envious  of 
Washington,  and  so  desirous  to  supersede  him 
that  he  was  ready  to  sacrifice  the  cause  to  that 
end." 

"I  just  wish  he'd  been  sent  back  to  Eng 
land,"  said  Walter.  "But  please  tell  us  the 
rest  about  the  battle,  Brother  Levis,  won't 
you?" 

The  captain  willingly  complied. 

"  It  was  a  dreadful  battle,"  remarked  Evelyn 
with  a  sigh,  as  his  story  came  to  a  conclusion. 

"  Yes,  one  of  the  most  hotly  contested  of  the 
war,"  he  assented,  "  and  resulted  in  victory  to 


104  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

the  Americans  in  spite  of  Lee's  repeated  asser* 
tion  that  the  *  attempt  was  madness.' 

"  All  the  other  American  generals  did  well, 
the  country  resounded  with  praises  of  Washing 
ton,  and  Congress  passed  a  unanimous  vote  of 
thanks  to  him  'for  his  great  and  good  conduct 
and  victory.' " 

"  It  was  in  this  battle  Captain  Molly  fought, 
wasn't  it  ?  "  asked  Rosie. 

"Yes,"  the  captain  replied;  and,  noticing  the 
eagerly  inquiring  looks  of  Grace  and  AValter, 
he  went  on  to  tell  the  story. 

"  Molly  was  the  wife  of  a  cannoneer  who  was 
firing  one  of  the  field-pieces,  while  she,  disre 
garding  the  danger  from  the  shots  of  the  enemy, 
made  frequent  journeys  to  and  from  a  spring 
near  at  hand,  thus  furnishing  her  husband  with 
the  means  of  slacking  his  thirst,  which  must  have 
been  great  at  such  work  in  such  weather. 

"At  length  a  shot  from  the  enemy  killed  him, 
and  an  order  was  given  to  remove  the  cannon, 
as  there  was  no  one  among  the  soldiers  near  who 
was  capable  of  its  management. 

"But  Molly,  who  had  seen  her  husband  fall, 
and  heard  the  order,  dropped  her  bucket,  sprang 
to  the  cannon,  seized  the  rammer,  and,  vowing 
that  she  would  avenge  his  death,  fired  it  with 
surprising  skill,  performing  the  duty  probably  as 
well  as  if  she  had  belonged  to  the  sterner  sex. 

"  The  next  morning  General  Greene  presented 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  105 

her — just  as  she  was,  all  covered  with  dust  and 
blood — to  Washington,  who  gave  her  the  com 
mission  of  sergeant  as  a  reward  for  her  bravery  ; 
in  addition  to  that  he  recommended  her  to  Con 
gress  as  worthy  to  have  her  name  placed  upon 
the  list  of  those  entitled  to  half-pay  during  life. 

"  The  French  officers  so  admired  her  bravery 
that  they  made  her  many  presents.  Lossing 
tells  us  that  she  would  sometimes  pass  along 
their  lines  and  get  her  cocked  hat  full  of  crowns. 
He  also  says  the  widow  of  General  Hamilton 
told  him  she  had  often  seen  '  Captain  Molly,'  as 
she  was  called,  and  described  her  as  a  red-haired, 
freckle-faced  young  Irish  woman,  with  a  hand 
some  piercing  eye." 

"  .Papa,  did  she  wear  a  man's  hat  ? "  asked 
Grace. 

"  Yes,  and  also  an  artilleryman's  coat  over 
her  woman's  petticoats.  She  had  done  a  brave 
deed  about  nine  months  before  the  battle  of 
Monmouth,  when  Fort  Clinton  was  taken  by 
the  British.  She  was  there  with  her  husband 
when  the  fort  was  attacked,  and  when  the 
Americans  retreated  from  the  fort,  and  the 
enemy  were  scaling  the  ramparts,  her  husband 
dropped  his  match  and  fled,  but  Molly  picked  it 
up  and  fired  the  gun,  then  scampered  off  after 
him.  That  Avas  the  last  gun  fired  in  the  fort  by 
the  Americans." 

"  And  this  battle  of  Monmouth  was  a  great 


106  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

victory  for  us — for  the  Americans,  I  mean  ? n 
Walter  said  inquiringly. 

"  Yes,  in  spite  of  the  shameful  retreat  of  Lee 
and  the  unaccountable  detention  of  Morgan  and 
his  brave  riflemen,  who  were  within  sound  of  the 
fearful  tumult  of  the  battle  and  eager  to  take 
part  in  it,  Morgan  striding  to  and  fro  in  an 
agony  of  suspense,  and  desire  to  participate  in 
the  struggle,  yet  unaccountably  detained  where 
he  was." 

"  And  that  was  some  of  that  traitor  Lee's  do 
ings,  I  suspect,"  exclaimed  Lulu  hotly.  "  Wasn't 
it,  papa?" 

"  My  dear  child,  I  do  not  know,"  returned  the 
captain,  "but  it  seems  altogether  probable  that 
if  Morgan  could  have  fallen,  with  his  fresh 
troops,  upon  the  weary  ones  of  Sir  Henry  Clin 
ton,  toward  the  close  of  the  day,  the  result 
might  have  been  such  a  surrender  as  Burgoyne 
was  forced  to  make  at  Saratoga. 

"  But  as  it  was,  while  Washington  and  his 
weary  troops  slept  that  night,  the  general  look 
ing  forward  to  certain  victory  in  the  morning, 
when  he  could  again  attack  his  country's  foes 
with  his  own  troops  strengthened  and  refreshed 
by  sleep,  Sir  Henry  and  his  army  stole  silently 
away  and  hurried  toward  Sandy  Hook." 

"  Did  Washington  chase  him  ?  "  asked  Wal 
ter. 

"  No,"  said  the  captain  ;  "  when  he  considered 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  107 

the  start  the  British  had,  the  weariness  of  his 
own  troops,  the  excessive  heat  of  the  weather, 
and  the  deep  sandy  country,  with  but  little  water 
to  be  had,  he  thought  it  wiser  not  to  make  the 
attempt." 

"  Papa,  was  it  near  here  that  the  British  shot 
Mrs.  Caldwell  ?  "  asked  Lulu. 

"  No  ;  that  occurred  in  a  place  called  Con 
necticut  Farms,  about  four  miles  northwest  of 
Elizabethtown,  to  which  they — the  Caldwells — 
had  removed  for  greater  safety. 

"It  was  in  June,  1780.  The  British  under 
Clinton  and  Knyphausen  crossed  over  to  Eliza 
bethtown  and  moved  on  toward  Springfield.  The 
Americans,  under  General  Greene,  were  posted 
upon  the  Short  Hills,  a  series  of  high  ridges 
near  Springfield,  and  came  down  to  the  plain  to- 
oppose  the  invasion  of  the  British.  I  will  not 
go  into  the  details  of  the  battle,  but  merely  say 
that  the  British  were  finally  repulsed,  Greene 
being  so  advantageously  posted  by  that  time 
that  he  was  anxious  for  an  engagement,  but 
Knyphausen,  perceiving  his  own  disadvantage, 
retreated,  setting  fire  to  the  village  of  Connecti 
cut  Farms  (now  called  Union)  on  his  way. 

"  The  people  of  the  town  fled  when  they  per 
ceived  the  approach  of  the  British,  but  Mrs. 
Caldwell  remained,  and  with  her  children  and 
maid  retired  to  a  private  apartment  and  engaged 
in  prayer. 


108  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

"Presently  her  maid,  glancing  from  a  win 
dow,  exclaimed  that  a  red-coated  soldier  had 
jumped  over  the  fence  and  was  coming  toward 
the  window. 

"  At  that  Mrs.  Caldwell  rose  from  the  bed 
where  she  had  been  sitting,  and  at  that  moment 
the  soldier  raised  his  nmsket  and  deliberately 
fired  at  her  through  the  window,  sending  two 
balls  through  her  body,  killing  her  instantly,  so 
that  she  fell  dead  among  her  poor  frightened 
children. 

"  It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  her  body 
was  saved  from  the  fire  which  was  consuming 
the  town.  It  was  dragged  out  into  the  street, 
and  lay  exposed  there  for  some  time — several 
hours — till  some  of  her  friends  got  leave  to  re 
move  it  to  a  house  on  the  other  side  of  the 
street. 

"  Her  husband  was  at  the  Short  Hills  that 
night,  and  in  great  anxiety  and  distress  about 
his  family  ;  the  next  day  he  went  with  a  flag  of 
truce  to  the  village,  found  it  in  ruins,  and  his 
wife  dead. 

,  "  That  cold-blooded  murder  and  wanton  de 
struction  of  the  peaceful  little  villnge  aroused 
great  indignation  all  over  the  land  and  turned 
many  a  Tory  into  a  Whig." 

"  Did  anybody  ever  find  out  who  it  was  that 
killed  her,  papa  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"  The  murderer  is  said  to  have  been  a  man 


ELSIE 'S ;,  VACATION.  109 

from  the  north  of  Ireland,  named  McDonald, 
who  for  some  unknoAvn  reason  had  taken  a  vio 
lent  dislike  to  Mr.  Caldwell. 

"  But  little  more  than  a  year  afterward  Mr. 
Caldwell  himself  was  slain,  in  a  very  similar 
manner,  but  by  an  American  soldier." 

"  An  American,  Brother  Levis  ?  "  exclaimed 
"Walter,  in  unfeigned  surprise.  "Did  he  do  it 
intentionally  ?  " 

"  The  shooting  was  intentional,  but  whether 
meant  to  kill  I  cannot  say,"  replied  the  captain  ; 
"the  fellow  who  did  it  is  said  to  have  been  a 
drunken  Irishman.  It  happened  at  Elizabeth- 
town,  then  in  possession  of  the  Americans.  A 
sloop  made  weekly  trips  between  that  place  and 
Xew  York,  where  were  the  headquarters  of  the 
British  army  at  that  time — and  frequently 
carried  passengers  with  a  flag,  and  also  parcels. 

"  The  Americans  had  a  strong  guard  at  a 
tavern  near  the  shore,  and  one  or  two  sentinels 
paced  the  causeway  that  extended  across  the 
marsh  to  the  wharf. 

"  One  day  in  November,  1781,  the  vessel  came 
in  with  a  lady  on  board  who  had  permission  to 
visit  a  sister  at  Elizabethtown,  and  Mr.  Cald 
well  drove  down  to  the  wharf  in  his  chaise  to 
receive  her  ;  then,  not  finding  her  on  the  wharf, 
went  aboard  the  sloop  and  presently  returned, 
carrying  a  small  bundle. 

"The  sentinel  on   the   causeway  halted  Mr. 


110  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

Caldwell  and  demanded  the  bundle  for  examina 
tion,  saying  he  had  been  ordered  not  to  let  any 
thing  of  the  kind  pass  without  strict  investiga 
tion. 

"  Mr.  Caldwell  refused  to  give  it  to  the  man — 
James  Morgan,  by  name — saying  it  was  the 
property  of  a  lady  and  had  been  merely  put  in 
his  care. 

"  The  sentinel  repeated  his  demand  and  Mr. 
Caldwell  turned  and  went  toward  the  vessel,  it 
is  presumed  to  carry  the  bundle  back  to  its 
owner,  when  the  sentinel  leveled  his  piece  and 
shot  him  dead  upon  the  spot. 

"  Morgan  was  arrested,  tried  for  murder,  and 
hung.  He  was  first  taken  to  the  church,  where  a 
sermon  was  preached  from  the  text  '  Oh,  do  not 
this  abominable  thing  which  I  hate.' 

"  Mr.  Caldwell  had  been  much  beloved  as  a 
pious  and  excellent  minister.  He  was  shot  on 
Saturday  afternoon,  and  the  next  day  many  of 
his  people  came  in  to  attend  church  knowing 
nothing  of  the  dreadful  deed  that  had  been  done 
till  they  arrived. 

"  Then  there  was  a  great  sound  of  weeping  and 
lamentation.  The  corpse  was  placed  on  a  large 
stone  at  the  door  of  the  house  of  a  friend 
whither  it  had  been  carried,  and  all  who  wished 
to  do  so  were  allowed  to  take  a  last  look  at  the 
remains  of  their  beloved  pastor.  Then,  before 
the  coffin  was  closed,  Dr.  Elias  Boudinot  led 


ELSIE'S  VACATION,  111 

the  nine  orphan  children  up  to  the  coffin  to  take 
their  last  look  at  the  face  of  their  father,  and,  as 
they  stood  weeping  there,  made  a  most  moving 
address  in  their  behalf." 

A  few  more  days  were  spent  by  our  friends 
in  and  about  Philadelphia,  during  which  brief 
visits  were  paid  to  places  interesting  to  them 
because  the  scenes  of  historical  events  of  the 
Revolution — Whitemarsh,  Germantown,  Barren 
Hill,  Valley  Forge,  beside  those  within  the  city 
itself. 

But  the  summer  heats  were  over  and  the 
hearts  of  one  and  all  began  to  yearn  for  the 
sweets  of  home ;  all  the  more  when  word 
reached  them  through  the  mails  that  the  mem 
bers  of  their  party  left  in  the  Newport  cottages 
had  already  succumbed  to  the  same  sort  of  sick 
ness,  and  were  on  their  homeward  way  by  land. 
A  day  or  two  later  the  Dolphin,,  with  her  full 
complement  of  passengers,  was  moving  rapidly 
southward. 


CHAPTER 


MAX  had  a  most  pleasant  surprise  when  the 
mail  was  distributed  on  that  first  morning  after 
his  arrival  at  the  Naval  Academy.  Till  his 
name  was  called,  he  had  hardly  hoped  there 
would  be  anything  for  him,  and  then  as  a  letter 
was  handed  him,  and  he  recognized  upon  it  his 
father's  well-known  writing,  his  cheek  flushed 
and  his  eyes  shone. 

A  hasty  glance  at  his  mates  showed  him  that 
each  seemed  intent  upon  his  own  affairs,  —  no 
one  watching  him,  —  so  he  broke  the  seal  and 
read  with  swelling  heart  the  few  sentences  of 
fatherly  advice  and  affection  the  captain  had 
found  time  to  pen  before  the  Dolphin  weighed 
anchor  the  previous  evening.  He  knew  the 
homesickness  that  would  assail  his  son  on  that 
first  day  of  separation  from  himself  and  all 
composing  the  dear  home  circle,  and  was  fain  to 
relieve  it  so  far  as  lay  in  his  power. 

Max  read  the  letter  twice,  then,  refolding, 
slipped  it  into  his  pocket  to  read  again  and  pon 
der  upon  when  he  could  find  a  moment  of  leisure 
and  freedom  from  observation. 

More  firmly  convinced    than   ever,  if  that 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  113 

were  possible,  was  the  lad  that  his  was  the  best, 
kindest,  and  dearest  of  fathers. 

"  And  if  I  don't  do  him  credit  and  make  him 
happy  and  proud  of  his  first-born,  it  shall  not 
be  for  want  of  trying,"  was  his  mental  resolve. 

It  was  fortunate  for  Max  that  his  father  had 
been  seen  and  admired  by  the  cadets,  who  one 
and  all  thought  him  a  splendid  specimen  of 
naval  officer,  and  were  therefore  well  disposed 
toward  his  son. 

Then  Max  himself  had  such  a  bright,  intelli 
gent  face  and  genial  manner,  was  so  ready  to 
assist  or  oblige  a  comrade  in  any  right  and 
honorable  way  that  lay  in  his  power,  so  very 
conscientious  about  obeying  rules  and  doing  his 
duty  in  everything,  and  brave  in  facing  ridicule, 
insolence,  and  contempt,  when  the  choice  was 
between  that  and  wrong-doing,  that  no  one  of 
them  could  help  respecting  him,  whether  willing 
to  acknowledge  it  or  not. 

At  first  the  "plebes,"  or  boys  in  the  same 
class  (the  fourth),  who  had  entered  in  June  of 
the  same  year,  showed  a  disposition  to  treat  him, 
as  well  as  the  other  "  Seps," — as  the  lads  entering 
in  September  are  styled, — with  scorn,  as  know 
ing  less  than  themselves  ;  but  that  soon  changed 
under  the  exhibition  Max  was  able  to  make  of 
all  he  had  learned  from  his  father  during  the 
weeks  on  board  the  Dolphin,  showing  himself 
perfectly  at  home  in  "  rigging-loft  work,"  row 


114  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

ing,  and  swimming,  and  by  no  means  slow  in 
taking  to  great-gun  exercise,  infantry  tactics, 
and  field  artillery. 

Nor  was  he  less  ready  in  the  art  of  swinging 
a  hammock.  His  father  had  not  neglected  that 
part  of  his  education,  and  Hunt  and  others  who 
had  hoped  for  some  fun  in  watching  his  maiden 
effort  had  to  own  themselves  defeated  and  dis 
appointed.  Max  was  as  expert  at  that  as  the 
oldest  member  of  the  class. 

So  the  "plebes"  soon  dropped  their  air  of 
conscious  superiority  and  presently  began  to 
treat  him  as  an  equal ;  a  change  which  he  re 
ported  to  his  father  with  evident  satisfaction. 
He  wrote  frequently  and  with  much  openness  to 
that  father,  telling  of  his  duties  and  pleasures  and 
asking  advice  in  any  perplexity  as  freely  as  he 
could  have  asked  it  of  anyone  near  his  own  age, 
and  with  full  confidence  in  the  wisdom  and  the 
affection  for  him  which  would  dictate  the  reply. 

Nor  was  he  disappointed  ;  almost  every  day  a 
letter  came  from  the  captain,  breathing  strong 
fatherly  affection,  giving  commendation,  en 
couragement,  and  the  best  of  advice  ;  also  telling 
everything  about  the  doings  and  happenings  in 
the  family  that  was  not  related  by  Mamma  Vi 
or  one  of  Max's  sisters,  who  not  un frequently 
added  a  note  to  papa's  larger  letter. 

All  those  letters,  like  the  first,  were  highly 
prized  by  the  recipient  and  read  and  reread  :« 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  115 

leisure  moments  till  he  could  have  repeated  their 
contents  almost  word  for  Avord  ;  and  every  pe 
rusal  increased  the  lad's  desire  and  determina 
tion  to  be  and  do  all  those  dear  ones — especially 
his  father — could  wish  ;  also  to  please  and 
honor  him  to  whose  service  he  had  consecrated 
his  life  and  all  his  powers. 

Max  was  not  perfect,  but  he  was  honest  and 
true,  and  sincerely  desirous  to  do  right. 

He  was  much  interested  in  the  accounts  re 
ceived  of  the  visits  of  his  father  and  the  others 
to.  the  scenes  of  revolutionary  events  in  Penn 
sylvania  and  New  Jersey,  and,  though  far  from 
regretting  his  choice  of  a  profession,  could  not 
help  wishing  he  could  have  made  one  of  the 
party. 

One  day,  after  he  had  spent  some  weeks  in 
the  Academy,  he  was  disappointed  in  his  ex 
pectation  of  receiving  a  letter  ;  none  came  the 
next  day  ;  but  then  it  occurred  to  him  that  the 
Dolphin  was  probably  on  her  homeward  way 
and  he  woxild  soon  get  a  letter  from  Woodburn, 
telling  of  the  arrival  there  of  all  belonging  to 
the  dear  home  circle. 

And  he  was  right ;  a  package  of  letters  came 
presently  giving  an  account  of  the  events  of  the 
last  days  spent  in  Philadelphia,  the  return  voy 
age,  and  the  joy  of  the  arrival  at  their  own  beau 
tiful  and  happy  home. 

Ah,  as  Max  read,  how  he  longed  to  be  with 


116  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

them  !  Yet  the  concluding  sentences  of  his 
father's  letter  restored  him  to  contentment  with 
things  as  they  were. 

The  captain  had  just  received  and  read  the 
report  of  his  boy's  conduct  and  academic  stand 
ing  for  his  first  month  and  was  much  pleased 
with  it.  He  made  that  very  clear  to  the  lad, 
calling  him  his  dear  son,  his  joy  and  pride,  and 
telling  him  that  until  he  was  a  father  himself  he 
could  never  know  the  joy  and  happiness  such 
a  report  of  a  son's  behavior  and  improvement  of 
his  opportunities  could  give. 

"Ah,"  thought  the  boy,  "I'll  try  harder  than 
ever  since  it  gives  such  pleasure  to  my  kindest 
and  best  of  fathers.  How  glad  I  am  to  have  the 
chance  !  How  thankful  I  ought  to  be  !  I  doubt 
if  there  was  ever  a  more  fortunate  boy  than  my 
self." 

Max  and  his  room-mate,  Hunt,  liked  each 
other  from  the  first,  and  seldom  had  the  slightest 
disagreement. 

According  to  the  rules  they  took  turns,  week 
about,  in  keeping  their  room  in  order,  each  try 
ing  to  outdo  his  mate  in  the  thoroughness  with 
which  he  attended  to  all  the  minutiae  of  the 
business. 

They  were  good-natured  rivals  too  in  other 
matters  connected  with  the  course  of  instruction 
they  were  going  through  :  gymnastic  exercises, 
fencing  and  boxing,  and  the  drill  called  fire- 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  117 

quarters,  in  which  the  whole  battalion  is  formed 
into  a  fire-brigade,  and  when  the  fire-bell  is 
sounded  each  cadet  hastens  to  his  proper  place 
in  the  troop,  and  the  steam  fire-engine  and  hose- 
carriages  belonging  to  the  Academy  are  brought 
out  and  used  as  they  would  be  in  case  some 
buildinsr  were  in  flames  and  the  cadets  were 

o 

called  upon  to  assist  in  extinguishing  the  blaze. 

Max  and  his  chum  had  become  quite  expert  at 
that  exercise,  when  one  night  they  were  roused 
from  sleep  by  the  sound  of  the  fire-bell,  and 
springing  up  and  running  to  their  window  saw 
that  a  dwelling  several  squares  from  the  Acad 
emy  was  in  flames. 

"  It's  a  real  fire  this  time  ! "  cried  Hunt, 
snatching  up  a  garment  and  beginning  a  very 
hurried  toilet,  Max  doing  the  same,  "  and  now 
we'll  have  a  chance  to  show  how  well  we  under 
stand  the  business  of  putting  it  out." 

"  And  we  must  try  to  do  credit  to  our  train 
ing  here  in  the  Academy,"  added  Max. 

An  hour  or  more  of  great  excitement  and  ex 
ertion  followed,  then,  the  fire  extinguished,  the 
brigade  returned  to  the  Academy,  and  the  lads 
to  their  sleeping-room,  so  weary  with  their  ex 
ertions  that  they  were  very  soon  sound  asleep 
again. 

The  experiences  of  that  night  furnished  Max 
with  material  for  an  interesting  letter  to  his 
father  and  the  rest  of  the  home  folks. 


118  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

"  I  didn't  know  the  cadets  were  taught  ho* 
to  put  out  fires,"  remarked  Grace,  when  her 
father  had  finished  reading  aloud,  to  his  wife 
and  children,  Max's  story  of  the  doings  of  the 
cadets  on  that  night. 

"  Yes,"  the  captain  said,  "  that  is  an  import 
ant  part  of  their  education.  There  are  a  great 
many  things  a  cadet  needs  to  know." 

"  I  suppose  so,  papa,"  said  Lulu,  "  and  though 
Maxie  doesn't  say  much  about  his  own  share  in 
the  work,  I  feel  very  sure  be  did  his  part.  And 
aren't  you  proud  of  him — your  eldest  eon  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  I  am,"  replied  her  father,  with 
a  smile  in  his  eyes.  "  It  may  be  all  parental 
partiality,  but  my  boy  seems  to  me  one  of  whom 
any  father  might  well  be  proud." 

"  And  I  am  quite  of  your  opinion,  my  dear," 
said  Violet.  "  I  am  very  proud  of  my  hus 
band's  son — the  dear,  good,  brave  fellow." 

But  the  captain's  eyes  were  again  upon  the 
letter,  his  face  expressing  both  interest  and 
amusement. 

"  What  is  it,  Levis  ? "  she  asked  ;  "  some 
thing  more  that  you  can  share  with  the  rest  of 
us?" 

"  Yes,"  he  returned  ;   then  read  aloud  : 

"  That  was  Friday  night,  and  this  is  Saturday 
evening.  This  afternoon  Hunt  and  I  were  al 
lowed  to  go  into  the  city.  We  were  walking 
along  one  of  the  side  streets,  and  came  upon  a 


ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

man  who  was  beating  his  horse  most  unmerci 
fully. 

"  The  poor  thing  was  just  a  bag  of  bones, 
that  seemed  to  have  nothing  but  skin  over 
them,  and  was  hitched  to  a  cart  heavily  loaded 
with  earth  and  stones  ;  its  head  was  down, 
and  it  looked  ready  to  drop,  while  the  savage 
wretch  (not  worthy  to  be  called  a  man)  was 
beating  it  furiously,  and  cursing  and  swearing 
in  a  towering  passion  ;  men  and  boys  gathering 
around;  and  some  calling  him  to  stop. 

"  But  he  didn't  pay  the  smallest  attention,  till 
the  poor  beast  spoke — at  least  the  voice  seemed 
to  come  from  its  mouth — '  Aren't  you  ashamed 
to  be  beating  me  so,  and  swearing  at  me,  too, 
when  you've  starved  me  till  I  haven't  strength 
to  drag  even  myself  another  step  ? ' 

"  At  that  the  man  stopped  both  his  beating 
and  swearing,  and  stood  looking  half  scared  out 
of  his  wits.  The  crowd,  too,  looked  thunder 
struck  ;  and  presently  one  fellow  said,  *  It's  the 
gtory  of  Balaam  and  his  ass  over  again.  There 
must  be  an  angel  somewhere  round,'  glancing 
from  side  to  side  as  he  spoke,  in  a  way  that  al 
most  made  me  laugh,  angry  as  I  was  at  the  hu 
man  brute,  or  rather  the  inhuman  scoundrel,  who 
had  been  treating  the  poor  creature  so  cruelly. 

"Others  looked  too,  but  didn't  seem  to  be 
able  to  see  the  angel. 

"  Hunt,  standing  close  at  my  side,  gave  a  low 


120  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

•whistle.  '  What,  upon  earth  ? '  he  said.  *  Oh, 
there  must  be  a  ventriloquist  somewhere  in  the 
crowd.  I'd  like  to  know  who  he  is.  Wouldn't 
you,  Max  ? ' 

"'Do  you  really  think  that's  the  explana 
tion?'  I  asked.  '  Certainly,'  he  answered,  in  a 
tone  as  if  he  was  rather  disgusted  at  my  stu 
pidity.  'How  else  could  you  account  for  the 
seeming  ability  of  that  wretched  animal  to 
talk?' 

"  '  I  can't  think  of  any  other  explanation,'  I 
answered,  '  but  I  hope  that  inhuman  wretch  of 
a  driver  doesn't  know  anything  about  ventrilo 
quists,  and  so  will  be  afraid  to  ill-use  the  poof 
creature  any  more.'  '  I  hope  so,  indeed,'  he  said. 
*  See,  the  crowd  ai*e  stroking  and  patting  it,  and 
yonder  comes  a  man  with  a  bucket  of  water, 
and  another  with  a  panful  of  oats.  The  ven 
triloquist  has  done  some  good.' 

"  '  I'm  glad  of  it,'  I  replied.  Then,  looking  at 
my  watch,  I  saw  that  it  was  time  for  us  to  go 
back  to  the  Academy. 

"  Hunt  told  the  story  to  some  of  the  other  fel 
lows  that  evening,  and  there  was  great  wonder 
ment  about  the  ventriloquist,  and  a  good  many 
wished  they  could  have  a  chance  to  see  him  and 
some  of  his  tricks.  Some  of  them  remarked,  in 
a  wondering  way,  that  I  seemed  very  indifferent 
about  it,  and  then  I  told  them  of  Cousin  Ronald 
and  his  doings  at  Ion,  which  interested  them  very 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  121 

much,  and  several  said  they  would  like  greatly 
to  make  his  acquaintance  and  see  and  hear 
what  he  could  do.  Isn't  it  good,  papa,  that 
they  have  never  once  suspected  me  ?  " 

"Well,"  exclaimed  Lulu,  "Max  used  his 
talent  to  do  good  that  time.  Didn't  he,  papa  ?  " 

"  He  did,  indeed,"  replied  the  captain.  "  I 
hope  that  poor  horse  will,  as  a  consequence, 
receive  better  treatment  in  future." 

"  I'm  so  glad  Maxie  could  frighten  the  man 
so  and  make  him  stop  treating  it  so  dreadfully," 
remarked  Grace,  with  a  sigh  of  relief.  "  I  never 
thought  before  that  that  talent  of  his  was  good 
for  anything  but  to  make  fun  for  folks." 

"  The  ability  to  afford  amusement  to  others 
is  a  talent  not  to  be  despised,"  said  her  father  ; 
"for  innocent  mirth  often  does  good  like  a 
medicine;  but  power  to  rescue  even  a  dumb 
beast  from  ill-treatment  is  still  more  to  be 
coveted,  and  I  shall  be  glad  indeed  if  Max  will 
use  his  gift  in  that  way  whenever  opportunity 
offers.** 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  WEEK  or  more  had  passed  since  the  return 
of  our  friends  from  their  vacation  in  the  more 
northern  part  of  their  loved  native  land,  and 
Lulu  and  Grace,  who  had  at  first  missed  their 
older  brother  sorely  from  the  family  circle,  had 
now  begun  to  feel  somewhat  accustomed  to  his 
absence,  and  were  veiy  merry  and  happy. 

They  had  resumed  their  studies,  reciting,  as 
before,  to  their  father,  and  took  daily  walks 
and  rides  on  their  ponies,  varied  by  an  occa 
sional  drive  with  the  captain,  Violet,  and  the 
little  ones. 

The  Ion  and  Fairview  families,  too,  had  gone 
back  to  old  pleasures  and  employments  ;  but  so 
busy  had  all  been,  taking  up  familiar  cares  and 
duties,  and  making  needed  preparations  for 
approaching  winter,  that  only  few  and  short 
visits  had  as  yet  been  exchanged  between  them. 

It  was  in  the  sitting-room,  and  just  aftei 
breakfast,  that  the  captain  had  read  Max's 
letter  aloud  to  his  wife  and  children. 

"  Go  to  the  schoolroom  now,  daughters,  and 
look  over  your  lessons  for  the  day}"  he  said, 
presently,  addressing  Lulu  and  Grace. 

123 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  123 

They  obeyed  instantly,  and  as  they  left  the 
room  a  servant  came  in  with  a  note  from 
Violet's  mother,  which  he  handed  to  his  mis 
tress,  saying  one  of  the  Ion  servants  had  just 
brought  it. 

"  Mamma's  handwriting,"  Violet  remarked 
to  her  husband  as  she  took  the  note  and  glanced 
at  the  address  upon  it. 

"  Ah  !  I  hope  they  are  all  well  ?  "  he  returned 
half  inquiringly. 

"  No-,  mamma  herself  is  certainly  not  quite 
well,"  Violet  answered  with  a  disturbed  look, 
after  glancing  hastily  down  the  page  ;  "  she 
says  as  much,  and  that  she  wants  me  to  come 
and  spend  a  few  days  with  her,  bringing  all  the 
children  if  I  choose  ;  they  will  not  disturb  her. 
And  you  also  will  be  most  welcome.  Dear, 
dear  mamma  !  I  shall  go  to  her  at  once — unless 
my  husband  objects,"  she  added,  looking  up  at 
him  with  a  rather  sad  sort  of  smile. 

"  As  he  certainly  could  not  think  of  doing,  my 
love,"  he  replied,  in  tender  tones.  "  We  must 
go,  of  course  ;  you  and  the  little  ones,  at  least  ; 
we  will  consider  about  the  older  ones,  and  I 
shall  spend  my  time  between  the  two  places, 
not  being  willing  to  stay  constantly  away 
from  you,  yet  having  some  matters  to  attend 
to  here,  some  things  that  ought  not  to  be 

7  O  O 

delayed." 

"But  you  will  be   with  us  a  part  of  every 


124  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

day?"  returned  Violet,  with  a  wistful  half- 
inquiring  look  up  into  his  face. 

"  Yes,  oh  yes !  "  he  hastened  to  say  ;  "  with 
my  wife  so  near  at  hand  I  could  not  let  a  day 
go  by  without  inflicting  my  presence  upon  her 
for  some  small  part  of  it,"  he  concluded  in  a 
half  jesting  tone,  and  with  a  fond  look  down 
into  the  sweet,  troubled  face ;  for  he  was  stand 
ing  close  at  her  side. 

"  I  think  it  could  not  be  harder  for  you  than 
for  me,  my  dear,"  she  returned,  with  a  loving 
emile  up  at  him.  "  I  should  like  to  take  all  the 
children,"  she  went  on,  "  but  Alma  is  here  to 
make  up  some  dresses  for  Lulu,  and  will  need 
her  at  hand  to  try  them  on  and  make  sure  of 
the  fit." 

"  And  I  should  seriously  object  to  allowing 
Lulu  to  drop  her  studies  again  just  as  she  has 
made  a  fresh  and  fair  start  with  them,"  said  the 
captain ;  "  so  of  course  she  will  have  to  stay  at 
Kome.  Grace  also,  I  think,  as  there  would  be 
the  same  objection  to  her  absence  from  home — 
as  regards  the  lessons  I  mean." 

"  But  if  you  will  allow  it,  I  can  hear  her  re 
cite  at  Ion,"  Yiolet  said.  "  She  could  learn  her 
lessons  there  and  still  have  a  good  deal  of  time 
to  play  with  her  little  sister,  who  thinks  no  one 
else  quite  equal  to  her  Gracie, — as  she  calls  her,—* 
for  a  playfellow." 

"Well,   my  dear,   we   will    make    that    a> 


ELSIE'S  VACATION'.  18* 

fangement  if  you  wish  it,"  responded  the 
captain. 

"And  yet  how  Lulu  will  miss  her,"  Violet 
eaid,  a  troubled  look  coming  over  her  face.  "  I 
wish  we  could  manage  it  so  that  she  could  go 
too,  the  dear  child  !  " 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  give  her  the  pleasure,** 
returned  Captain  Raymond  ;  "  but  really  think 
it  will  not  do  to  have  her  studies  so  interfered 
with  now  when  she  has  but  just  well  settled 
down  to  them.  It  will  be  a  little  hard  for  her, 
but  perhaps  not  a  bad  lesson  in  patience  and 
self-denial." 

"  But  a  lesson  I  fear  she  will  not  enjoy," 
remarked  Violet,  with  a  regretful  smile. 

Going  into  the  schoolroom  presently  the  cap 
tain  found  his  two  little  girls  industriously  busy 
with  their  tasks. 

"  Gracie,  daughter,"  he  said,  "  your  mamma 
is  going  over  to  Ion  for  a  few  days,  because 
Grandma  Elsie  is  not  very  well  and  wants  her 
companionship,  and  Mamma  Vi  wants  you, — for 
little  Elsie's  sake, — having  found  you  very  suc« 
cessful  in  entertaining  her  and  baby  Ned.  We 
are  all  invited,  indeed  ;  but  I  must  be  here  the 
greater  part  of  the  time,  as  I  have  various  mat 
ters  to  oversee,  and  Lulu  cannot  be  spared  from 
home  as  Alma  is  at  work  upon  some  dresses  for 
her,  and  I  wish  her  to  go  on  diligently  with  her 
studies." 


126  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

"  But  don't  I  need  to  be  attending  to  mine, 
papa  ? "  queried  Grace,  looking  regretfully  at 
her  sister,  over  whose  face  had  come  a  look  of 
keen  disappointment,  succeeding  one  of  pleased 
anticipation  called  out  by  the  beginning  of  her 
father's  communication. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  with  a  smile  ;  "  we  are  going 
to  let  you  attend  to  them  there,  Mamma  Vi 
acting  as  governess." 

"  Isn't  she  willing  to  do  the  same  for  me  too, 
papa  ?  "  asked  Lulu,  in  a  slightly  hurt  tone. 

"  I  think  so,"  he  answered  pleasantly  ;  "  but 
there  is  the  dressmaking,  and  I  couldn't  think 
of  such  a  thing  as  asking  to  have  that  carried 
on  at  Ion." 

Lulu  seemed  to  have  nothing  more  to  say  and 
Grace  gave  her  a  troubled  look  ;  then,  with  a 
little  hesitation,  "  Papa,"  she  said,  "  I — I  think 
I'd  rather  stay  at  home  with  Lu,  if  I  may." 

"  No,  daughter,"  he  answered,  still  speaking 
very  pleasantly.  **  I  have  not  time  to  give  my 
reasons  just  now  ;  but  I  want  you  to  go,  and 
Lulu  to  stay.  It  will  probably  be  for  only  a 
few  days  ;  and  I  think  she  may  trust  her  father 
not  to  allow  her  to  be  very  lonely  in  the  mean 
while,"  he  added,  with  a  smile  directed  to  Lulu, 
but  which  she  did  not  seem  to  see,  keeping  her 
face  down  and  her  eyes  fixed  upon  her  book. 

Then  he  left  the  room,  saying  to  Grace  as  he 
went  out,  "  Make  haste,  daughter,  to  gather  up 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  127 

your  books  and  whatever  else  you  may  wish  to 
take  with  you.  I  have  ah'eady  ordered  the  car 
riage  and  there  is  no  time  to  waste.  Lulu  may 
help  you  if  she  will." 

"  Will  you,  Lu  ?  "  asked  Grace,  with  a  very 
sympathizing  look  at  her  sister.  "  Oh,  I  wish 
papa  had  said  you  were  to  go  too  !  Whatever 
shall  I  do  without  my  dear,  big  sister  !  " 

"  Never  mind,  Gracie  ;  I'm  sure  I  don't  want 
to  go  where  I'm  not  wanted,"  replied  Lulu,  in  a 
hurt  tone. 

"  I'm  sure  it  isn't  because  they  wouldn't  like 
to  have  you  there,"  returned  Grace,  running  to 
her  sister  and  putting  her  arms  about  her  neck.. 

"  Why  don't  they  ask  me,  then  ? "  queried 
Lulu,  a  little  angrily. 

"  May  be  they  did.  I'm  most  sure  Grandma 
Elsie  wouldn't  forget  to  include  you  in  her  invi 
tation  ;  and,  oh,  yes !  don't  you  remember  papa 
did  say  we  were  all  invited?  But  you  know 
there  are  the  lessons,  and  I  suppose  papa  would 
rather  hear  them  himself." 

"  But  he  could  hear  them  there." 

"  Yes  ;  so  he  could  if  he  wanted  to.  But 
then  thei*e's  the  dressmaking,  you  know." 

"  That  could  be  put  off  for  a  few  days,"  re- 
turned  Lulu,  with  a  very  grown-up  air.  "There 
are  plenty  of  ways  when  people  want  to  do  a 
thing — plenty  of  excuses  to  be  thought  of  when 
they  don't.  Alma  has  numerous  customers  and 


J28  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

could  sew  for  somebody  else  first,  giving  her 
my  time,  and  me  hers  after  we  get  home." 

"Oh,  maybe  it  could  be  managed  in  that 
way  ! "  exclaimed  Grace  joyously  ;  "  and  I'd 
so  much  rather  have  you  along.  I  think  I'll 
ask  papa." 

"  No,  don't  you  do  any  such  thing,"  returned 
Lulu,  in  a  not  particularly  amiable  tone.  "  If 
I'm  not  wanted,  I'm  sure  I  don't  wish  to  go. 
But  you'll  have  to  hurry,  Gracie.  You  know 
papa  is  very  particular  about  our  being  prompt 
in  obeying  his  orders." 

u  Yes,"  returned  Grace,  who  was  again  at  her 
desk,  "but  I  have  been  busy  all  this  time  get 
ting  out  the  books  and  other  things  I  must  take 
along,  and  now  I'll  go  upstairs  aid  get  dressed 
and  put  up  the  things  there  that  I  vant.  Won't 
you  go  with  me  ?  You'll  know  sft|  much  better 
than  I  what  I  need  to  take." 

"  Yes,  Gracie,  dear  ;  I'll  be  glad  to  give  you 
all  the  help  I  can.  I'm  glad  papa  said  I  might. 
Oh,  but  it  will  be  lonely  here  without  you  !  I 
do  think  papa  might  have  said  I  could  go, 
too." 

"  I'd  be  ever  so  glad  if  he  had,  or  would," 
said  Grace,  as  hand  in  hand  they  left  the  room 
together,  "but  you  know,  Lu  dear,  we  always 
find  out  in  the  end  that  his  way  is  the  best." 

"  So  we  do,  and  I'll  try  to  believe  it  now," 
returned  Lulu,  in  a  more  cheerful  tone  than 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  129 

iiad  used  since  learning  that  the  rest  of  the 
family  were  to  go  to  Ion  and  she  was  to  remain 
at  home. 

With  her  good  help  Grace  was  ready  in  a 
few  minutes,  and  just  then  they  heard  their 
father  call  to  her  to  come  at  once,  as  the  car 
riage  was  at  the  door. 

The  sisters  embraced  each  other  hastily, 
Grace  saying,  "  Oh,  Lu,  good-by,  I  do  wish  you 
were  going  along,  for  I  can  hardly  bear  to  go 
without"  you." 

"  Never  mind,  but  just  try  to  enjoy  yourself 
as  much  as  ever  you  can,"  returned  Lulu.  "  Go 
down  now,  dearie,  for  we  should  never  keep  papa 
waiting,  you  know.  Here's  Agnes  to  carry 
down  your  satchel.  I  hope  you  won't  stay  long 
enough  away  from  me  to  need  many  clothes, 
and  if  you  do  it  will  be  easy  enough  to  send 
them — the  carriage  going  back  and  forth  every 
day." 

Grace  was  half-way  down  the  stairs  before 
Lulu  had  finished. 

"  Ain't  you  a  gwine  down  to  see  de  folks  off, 
Mi*s  Lnl«  ?"  queried  Agnes,  a*  she  took  up  the 
satchel. 

"  No,"  returned  Lulu  shortly  ;  "  I'm  going 
back  to  the  schoolroom  to  attend  to  my  lessons." 

Agnes  gave  her  a  look  of  surprise  as  she  left 
the  room,  thinking  she  had  never  known  Miss 
Lu  fail  to  be  at  the  door  when  any  of  the  other 


130  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

members  of  the  family  were  leaving  for  more 
than  a  short  drive,  and  she  staying  behind. 

"  Where  is  Lulu,  Gracie  ? "  asked  Violet,  as 
the  captain  handed  the  little  girl  into  the  car 
riage.  "I  hadn't  time  to  hunt  her  up,  and 
thought  she  would  be  here  at  the  door  to  say 
good-by  to  us  all." 

"  She  said  she  must  hurry  back  to  her  lessons, 
mamma,"  answered  Grace,  blushing  for  her 
sister.  "  You  see  she  stopped  to  help  me  get 
ready,  and  I  suppose  she's  afraid  she'll  not  know 
them  well  by  the  time  papa  wants  to  hear  her 
recite." 

"  It  would  have  taken  very  little  of  her  time," 
the  captain  remarked,  with  a  grave  and  some* 
what  displeased  look. 

"Oh,  well,  you  can  bring  her  over  to  Ion, 
perhaps  this  afternoon  or  to-morrow,  for  a  call, 
Levis,"  Violet  hastened  to  say  in  a  cheery  tone. 

"  Possibly,"  he  answered,  and  was  about  to 
step  into  the  carriage  when  a  servant  came  hur 
rying  up  to  ask  directions  in  regard  to  some 
work  to  be  done  in  the  grounds. 

"My  dear,"  said  the  captain  to  Violet,  "I 
think  it  would  be  better  for  you  and  the  children 
to  drive  on  without  waiting  for  me.  I  shall 
probably  follow  you  in  another  hour  or  two." 

"  Very  well ;  please  don't  disappoint  us  if 
you  can  help  it,"  returned  Violet,  and  the  car 
riage  drove  on,  while  Captain  Raymond  walked 


ELSIE'S  VACATION  131 

away   in   the   opposite   direction,   to  give  the 
needed  orders  to  his  men. 

"  I  think  it's  a  shame  that  I  should  be  lef* 
behind  when  all  the  rest  of  the  family  are  going 
to  Ion  to  have  a  good  time,"  muttered  Lulu 
angrily,  as  she  seated  herself  at  her  desk 
again  and  opened  a  book.  "Papa  could 
hear  my  lessons  there  just  as  well  as  here 
if  he  chose,  and  Mamma  Vi  might  have  ar 
ranged  to  have  my  dresses  made  a  week  or 
two  later." 

"  Miss  Lu,"  said  Agnes,  opening  the  door  and 
putting  in  her  head,  "  Miss  Alma  tole  me  for  to 
tell  you  she's  'bout  ready  fo'  to  try  on  yo'  new 
dress." 

"  Tell  her  to  take  it  to  my  room.  I'll  go  up 
there  to  have  it  tried  on,"  replied  Lulu,  in  a 
vexed,  impatient  tone. 

Then,  as  Agnes  withdrew  her  head  and  closed 
the  door,  "  Horrid  thing  !  why  couldn't  she 
have  come  to  me  while  I  was  up  there  ?  Here 
I  am,  hardly  fairly  settled  to  my  work,  and  I 
must  drop  it  and  go  back  again.  I'd  better 
take  my  book  with  me,  for  there's  no  knowing 
how  long  she  may  keep  me  while  she  alters 
something  that  she  has  got  wrong,  for  she's  gen 
erally  too  stupid  to  make  a  thing  right  at  the 
first  trial.  Well,  perhaps  she'll  get  done  by  the 
time  papa  comes  back  and  is  ready  to  hear  mi 
recite." 


133  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

So  saying  she  went  slowly  from  the  school 
room  and  upstairs  to  her  own  apartment. 

There  were  a  few  minutes  of  waiting  for 
Alma,  which  did  not  improve  Lulu's  temper, 
and  as  the  girl  came  in  she  received  an  angry 
glance,  accompanied  by  the  remark,  in  no  very 
pleasant  tones,  that  she  had  no  business  to 
send  for  people  till  she  was  ready  to  attend 
to  thenr. 

At  that  Alma  colored  painfully.  "  I  am  sorry 
to  have  inconvenienced  you,  Miss  Lu,"  she  said, 
"  but  I'll  try  not  to  keep  you  so  very  long." 

"  If  you  don't,  it  will  be  about  the  first  time 
that  you  haven't,"  snapped  Lulu.  "  I  think  you 
are  just  about  the  slowest,  most  blundering 
dressmaker  I  ever  did  see." 

At  that  unkind  remark,  Alma's  eyes  filled 
with  tears,  but  she  went  on  silently  with  her 
work,  making  no  rejoinder,  while  Lulu — the 
reproaches  of  conscience  rendering  her  un 
easy  and  irritable — fidgetted  and  fussed^  thus 
greatly  increasing  the  difficulty  of  the  task. 

"  Miss  Lu,"  Alma  said  at  last,  in  a  despairing 
tone,  "  if  you  can't  keep  stiller,  it  is  not  possi 
ble  for  me  to  make  the  dress  to  fit  you  right." 

"  Indeed  !  "  returned  Lulu  scornfully,  "  I 
don't  feel  sure  of  your  ability  to  fit  it  right 
under  any  circumstances — such  a  stupid,  awk 
ward  thing  as  you  are,  and " 

Her  sentence  was  left  unfinished,  for  at  that  Ub 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  133 

Stant,  to  her  astonishment  and  dismay,  her  fath 
er's  voice  called  to  her  from  his  dressing-room, 
in  sterner  accents  than  she  had  heard  from  him 
in  a  long  while.  "  Lucilla,  come  here  to  me  ! n 
She  had  not  known  of  his  detention  at  home, 
but  supposed  he  had  gone  with  the  others  to 
Ion. 

Jerking  off  the  waist,  which  Alma  had  already 
unfastened, — snatching  up  a  dressing-sack  and 
putting  it  on  as  she  went, — she  appeared  before 
him,  blushing  and  shamefaced. 

"  I  am  both  surprised  and  mortified  by  what 
I  have  just  overheard,"  he  said.  "  I  had  a  bet 
ter  opinion  of  my  dear,  eldest  daughter  than  to 
suppose  she  would  ever  show  herself  so  heart 
less.  Yon  surely  must  have  forgotten  that  poor 
Alma  is  a  stranger,  in  a  strange  land,  while  you 
are  at  home,  in  your  father's  house.  Go  to  her 
now,  and  apologize  for  your  rudeness." 

Lulu  made  no  movement  to  obey,  but  stood 
before  him  in  sullen  silence  and  with  downcast, 
ecowiing  countenance. 

He  waited  a  moment ;  then  said  sternly, 
"  Lucilla,  you  will  yield  instant  obedience  to 
my  order,  or  go  immediately  to  your  own 
room,  and  not  venture  into  my  presence  again 
until  you  can  tell  me  you  have  obeyed." 

At  that  she  turned  and  left  the  room,  more 
angry  and  rebellious  than  she  had  ever  been 
since  that  dreadful  time  at  Ion  when  her  in. 


134  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

diligence  in  a  fit  of  passion  had  so  nearly  cost 
little  Elsie's  life. 

"  Papa  will  have  a  pretty  time  making  me 
do  it,"  she  muttered  angrily  to  herself,  as  she 
stood  l)y  u  window  in  her  bedroom  looking  out 
into  the  grounds.  "Ask  Alma's  pardon,  in 
deed  !  She's  not  even  a  lady  ;  she's  nothing 
but  a  poor  woman,  who  has  to  support  her 
self  with  her  needle, — or  rather  with  a  sewing 
machine,  and  cutting  and  fitting, — and  I  think 
it's  just  outrageous  for  papa  to  tell  me  I 
must  ask  her  pardon.  I'll  not  do  it,  and  papa 

needn't  think  he  can  make  me,  though "  she 

added,  uneasily,  the  next  minute,  "to  be  sure, 
he  always  has  made  me  obey  him  ;  but  I'm 
older  now  ;  too  old,  I  think,  even  he  would 
say,  to  be  whipped  into  doing  what  I  don't 
choose  to  do. 

"  But  he  forbade  me  to  come  into  his  presence 
till  I  obeyed,  and — oh,  dear,  I  can't  live  that  way, 
because*,!  love  him  so — better  than  any  one  else 
in  all  the  wide  world;  and — and — it  would  just 
kill  me  to  have  to  go  without  his  love  and  his 
caresses;  never  to  have  him  hug  and  kiss  me, 
and  call  me  his  dear  child,  his  darling.  Oh,  I 
couldn't  bear  it !  I  never  could  !  it  would  just 
break  my  heart !  "  and  her  tears  began  to  fall 
like  rain. 

She  cried  quite  violently  for  a  while  ;  then 
began  to  think  of  Alma  more  kindly  and  pity« 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  135 

tnglj  than  ever  before,  as  an  orphan  and  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  land. 

"  Oh,  I  am  ashamed  to  have  treated  her  so  !  " 
she  exclaimed  at  length,  "  and  I  will  ask  her 
pardon  ;  not  only  because  papa  has  ordered  me 
to  do  so,  but  because  I  am  sorry  for  her,  and 
really  mortified  to  think  of  having  treated  her 
so  badly." 

Fortunately,  just  at  that  moment  Alma's 
timid  rap  was  heard  at  the  door  and  her  voice 
saying,  in  a  hesitating,  deprecating  way,  "  Miss 
Lu,  please,  I  need  to  try  the  dress  once  more. 
I'm  vei'y  sorry  to  disturb  and  trouble  you,  but 
I  know  you  want  it  to  be  a  good  fit." 

"  Yes,  of  course  I  do,  Alma,"  returned  Lulu 
gently,  opening  the  door  as  she  spoke  ;  "you 
are  quite  right  to  come  back  with  it.  I'm  sorry 
and  ashamed  of  having  been  so  rude  and  unkind 
to  you  when  you  were  in  here  before,"  she  added, 
holding  out  her  hand.  "  It  was  shameful  treat 
ment.  Papa  said  I  must  ask  Your  pardon,  and 
I  think  I  would  do  it  now,  even  if  he  hadn't  or 
dered  me." 

"  It  is  too  much,  Miss  Lu,"  Alma  said,  blush 
ing,  and  with  tears  in  her  eyes.  "I  could  never 
ask  such  a  thing  as  that  of  a  young  lady  like 
you." 

"  Indeed,  my  behavior  has  been  very  unlady« 
like  to-day,"  sighed  Lulu ;  "  and  papa  is  veryf 
very  much  displeased  with  me." 


136  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

**I  am  sorry,  Miss,"  Alma  responded,  in  a 
sympathizing  tone.  "  But  the  captain  will  not 
stay  angry ;  he  is  so  very  fond  of  his  children." 

"  Yes  ;  and  so  kind  and  indulgent  that  I 
ought  to  be  the  best  girl  in  the  world.  Oh,  I 
wish  I  had  not  behaved  so  badly  !  " 

"  He  will  forgive  you,  Miss  ;  he  will  not  stay 
displeased,  for  his  love  for  you  is  so  very  great," 
returned  Alma.  "  There,  Miss,  the  dress  does 
fit  you  now.  See  in  the  glass.  Does  it  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Lulu  replied,  surveying  herself  in  the 
mirror  ;  "  I  could  not  ask  a  better  fit,  Alma." 

"  It  is  lovely,  Miss  Lu  ;  the  stuff  so  fine  and 
soft,  and  the  colors  so  beautiful !  "  remarked 
the  girl,  gazing  upon  it  with  admiring  eyes. 
"  It  is  good,  Miss  Lu,  to  have  a  kind  papa,  rich 
enough  to  gif  you  all  things  needful  for  a 
young  lady  to  wear." 

"  Yes,  and  so  generous  and  kind  as  mine  is," 
sighed  Lulu.  "  It  is  a  very  great  shame  that  1 
ever  do  anything  to  displease  him." 

Alma  went  back  to  the  sewing-room,  and 
Lulu  hastened  to  the  door  of  the  room  where 
her  father  had  been  when  he  called  to  her.  But 
a  glance  within  showed  her  that  he  was  not 
there  now.  Then  she  ran  downstairs  and 
through  library,  parlors,  halls, — everywhere, — 
looking  for  him. 

"Oh,  where  is  he?"  she  sighed.  "I  must 
find  him  and  tell  him  how  sorry  I  am  for  my 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  137 

naughtiness.  I  can't  have  one  minute  of  happi 
ness  till  I  have  done  so  and  got  a  kiss  of  for 
giveness." 

Snatching  a  hat  f"om  the  rack  and  putting  it 
on  as  she  went,  su«  ran  out  and  round  the 
porches  and  the  grounds ;  but  nowhere  was  he 
to  be  seen. 

"  Miss  Lu,"  called  a  servant,  at  length,  "  is 
you  lookin'  fo'  de  cap'n?  He's  done  gone  to 
Ion,  I  'spects  ;  kase  dere's  whar  Miss  Wi'let 
went  in  de  kerridge." 

"  Did  he  say  when  he  would  come  back  ?  " 
asked  Lulu,  steadying  her  voice  with  quite  an 
effort. 

"  He  gwine  come  back  dis  evenin'  fo'  suah, 
Miss  Lu,  to  see  'bout  de  work  on  de  plantation," 
was  the  reply,  as  the  man  turned  to  his  employ 
ment  again.  And  with  a  heavy  sigh  Lulu 
turned  about  and  re-entered  the  house. 

"  Oh,  it's  so  lonesome  for  me  here  all  by  my 
self  !  "  she  said  half-aloud. 

But  there  was  no  one  near  enough  to  hear 
her,  and  she  went  back  to  her  tasks,  trying  to 
forget  her  troubles  in  study  ;  an  effort  in  which 
she  was  for  the  time  partially  successful. 


"  I  HOPE  there  is  nothing  serious  ailing  dear 
mamma,"  Violet  said  rather  anxiously  to  her 
self,  as  the  carriage  rolled  swiftly  on  toward 
Ion  ;  "  there  was  really  nothing  in  her  note  to 
indicate  it,  but  she  has  never  been  one  to  com 
plain  of  even  a  pretty  serious  ailment.  She  is 
not  old  yet ;  we  may  hope  to  keep  her  with  us 
for  many,  many  years.  But  then  she  is  so  good 
— so  ripe  for  heaven  !  "  And  a  silent  prayer 
went  up  to  God  that  the  dear  mother  might  be 
spared  for  many  years  to  help  others  on  their 
pilgrim  way,  especially  her  children  and  grand 
children.  "  For  oh,  how  we  need  her  !  "  was  the 
added  thought ;  "what  could  we  ever  do  with 
out  her — the  dear,  kind,  loving  mother  to  whom 
we  cany  all  our  troubles  and  perplexities,  sure 
of  comfort,  the  best  of  advice,  and  all  the  help 
in  her  power  to  give.  Dear,  dear  mamma  !  Oh, 
I  have  never  prized  her  as  I  ought !  " 

It  was  only  the  previous  evening  that  Mrs. 
Travilla  herself  had  learned  that  she  was  assailed 
by  more  than  a  trifling  ailment.  What  seemed 
to  her  but  a  slight  one,  causing  discomfort,  and 
at  times  quite  a  good  deal  of  pain,  she  had  been 

138 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  139 

conscious  of  for  some  weeks  or  months,  but  had 
not  thought  it  necessary  to  speak  of  it  to  any 
one. 

About  the  time  of  her  return  home,  however, 
there  had  been  a  very  decided  increase  in  the 
suffering  ;  which  at  length  led  her  to  confide 
her  trouble  to  her  cousin  and  family  physician, 
Dr.  Arthur  Conly,  and  she  had  learned  from 
him  that  it  was  far  more  serious  than  she  had 
supposed ;  that  in  fact  her  only  escape  from 
sure  and  speedy  death  lay  in  submission  to  a 
difficult  and  dangerous  surgical  operation. 

Arthur  told  her  as  gently  and  tenderly  as  he 
could — assuring  her  that  there  was  more  than  a 
possibility  of  a  successful  result — bringing  relief 
from  her  suffering  and  prolonging  her  life  for 
many  years. 

His  first  words — showing  her  ailment  as  so 
much  more  serious  than  she  had  ever  for  a  mo 
ment  supposed  it  to  be — gave  her  a  shock  at  the 
thought  of  the  sudden  parting  from  all  her  dear 
ones — father,  childi'en,  and  grandchildren  ;  yet 
before  he  had  finished  she  was  entirely  calm 
and  composed. 

"And  what  would  death  be  but  going  home  ?  " 
she  said  ;  "home  to  the  mansions  Jesus  my  Sav 
iour  has  prepared  for  those  he  died  to  redeem, 
and  to  the  dear  ones  gone  before,  there  to 
await  the  coming  of  those  who  will  be  left 
behind  for  a  little  while.  Ah,  it  is  nothing 


140  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

to  dread  or  to  fear,  for  '  I  know  that  nay  Re« 
deemer  liveth.' " 

"And  yet,  Cousin  Elsie,"  Arthur  returned, 
with  ill-concealed  emotion,  "  how  illy  you  could 
be  spared  by  any  of  those  who  know  and  love 
you.  Even  I  should  feel  it  an  almost  heart 
breaking  thing  to  lose  you  out  of  my  life,  and 
your  father,  children " 

"  Yes,  I  know,  dear  cousin,  and  shall  not  hesi 
tate  to  do  or  bear  all  that  holds  out  a  hope  of 
prolonging  my  days  here  upon  earth  ;  for  other 
wise  I  should  feel  that  I  was  rushing  into  the 
Master's  presence  unbidden,  and  that  without 
finishing  the  work  he  has  given  me  to  do  here. 

"  Nor  would  I  be  willing  to  so  pain  the  hearts 
of  those  who  love  me.  I  am  ready  to  submit 
at  once  to  whatever  you  deem  necessary  or  ex 
pedient.  But  ah,  my  dear  father  !  How  dis 
tressed  he  will  be  when  he  learns  all  that  you 
have  just  told  me  !  I  wish  he  might  be  spared 
the  knowledge  till  all  is  over.  But  it  would 
not  do.  He  must  be  told  at  once,  and — I  must 
tell  him." 

"  That  will  be  very  hard  for  you,  dear  cousin  ; 

would  it  not  be  better "  Arthur  began,  but 

paused,  leaving  his  sentence  unfinished. 

"  It  will  come  best  from  me,  I  think,"  she 
returned,  with  a  sad  sort  of  smile.  "But 
when  ?  " 

"  Day  after  to-morrow,  if  you  will.     I  think 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  141 

you  would  prefer  to  have  the  trial  over  as  soon 
as  possible  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  think  it  will  save  both  me  and  all 
concerned  from  some  of  the  suffering  of  antici 
pation,  if  you  can  make  it  suit  your  convenience.'* 

"  Perfectly,"  he  answered ;  "  there  are  few 
preparations  to  be  made  and  I  do  not  want  long 
to  contemplate  doing  what  must  be  a  trial  to  so 
many  whom  I  love  " 

Their  talk  had  been  in  her  boudoir.  He 
lingered  but  a  few  moments  longer,  then  went 
down  to  the  drawing-room. 

"  Uncle,"  he  said,  in  a  low  aside  to  Mr.  Dins- 
more,  "I  have  just  left  Cousin  Elsie  in  her 
boudoir  and  she  wishes  to  see  you  there." 

"  She  is  not  well,  Arthur  ?  "  asked  the  old 
gentleman,  with  a  slightly  startled  look,  as  he 
rose  from  his  easy  chair  and  the  two  passed  out 
into  the  hall  together. 

"  Not  very,  uncle,"  was  the  sad-toned  reply. 
"  She  has  been  consulting  me  and  there  is  some 
thing  she  wishes  to  say  to  you." 

Mr.  Dinsmore  paled  to  the  very  lips.  "  Don't 
keep  me  in  suspense,  Arthur  ;  let  me  know  the 
worst,  at  once,"  he  said,  with  almost  a  groan. 
"  Why  has  anything  been  hidden  from  me — the 
father  who  loves  her  better  than  his  life  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  as  ignorant  as  yourself,  uncle, 
till  within  the  last  half  hour,"  replied  the  doctor, 
in  a  uatient,  deeply  sympathizing  tone.  "  It  is 


142  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

astonishing  to  me  that  she  has  been  able  to 
endure  so  much  for  we-eks  or  months  past  with 
out  a  word  of  complaint.  But  do  not  despair, 
my  dear  uncle  ;  the  case  is  by  no  means  hope 
less." 

"  Tell  me  all,  Arthur  ;  hide  nothing,  noth 
ing  from  me,"  Mr.  Dinsmore  said  with  mingled 
sternness  and  entreaty,  hastily  leading  the  way 
as  he  spoke  to  the  little  reception  room  opening 
from  the  other  side  of  the  hall,  and  closing  the 
door  against  any  chance  intruder. 

Arthur  complied,  stating  the  case  as  briefly 
as  possible,  and  laying  strong  emphasis  upon 
the  fact  that  there  was  reason  to  hope  for,  not 
spared  life  alone,  but  entire  and  permanent 
relief. 

"  God  grant  it  !  "  was  the  old  gentleman's 
fervent,  half  agonized  response.  "  My  darling, 
my  darling  !  would  that  I  could  bear  all  the 
suffering  for  you  !  Arthur,  when — when  must 
my  child  go  through  the  trial  which  you  say 
is — not  to  be  escaped  ?  " 

"  We  have  agreed  upon  the  day  after  to 
morrow,  uncle,  both  she  and  I  wishing  to  have 
it  over  as  soon  as  possible." 

A  few  minutes  later,  Mr.  Dinsmore  passed 
quietly  into  his  daughter's  boudoir,  where  he 
found  her  alone,  lying  on  a  lounge,  her  eyea 
closed,  her  countenance,  though  deathly 
perfectly  calm  and  peaceful. 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  143 

He  bent  down  and  touched  his  lips  to  the 
white  forehead  ;  then  as  the  sweet  eyes  opened 
and  looked  up  lovingly  into  his,  "  Oh,  my  dar 
ling,  idol  of  my  heart,"  he  groaned,  "  would 
that  your  father  could  himself  take  the  suffer 
ing  that  I  have  just  learned  is  in  store  for  you." 

"  Ah  no,  no,  my  dear,  dear  father,  I  could  illy 
bear  that,"  she  said,  putting  an  arm  about  his 
neck  ;  "  suffering  and  danger  to  you  would  be 
far  harder  for  me  than  what  I  am  now  endur 
ing  or  expecting  in  the  near  future.  Arthur  haa 
told  you  all?" 

"Yes  ;  kind-hearted  and  generous  fellow  that 
he  is,  he  felt  that  he  must  spare  you  the  pain 
of  telling  it  yourself." 

"  Yes,  it  was  very,  very  kind,"  she  said, 
"  Dear  papa,  sit  down  in  this  easy  chair,  close  by 
my  side,  and  take  my  hand  in  yours  while  we 
talk  together  of  some  matters  that  need  to  be 
settled  before — before  I  am  called  to  go  through 
that  which  may  be  the  end  of  earthly  life  for 
me." 

Then,  in  response  to  the  anguished  look  in  his 
face  as  he  bent  over  her  with  another  silent 
caress,  "  My  dear  father,  I  do  not  mean  to  dis 
tress  you.  Arthur  holds  out  strong  hope  of 
cure  and  years  of  health  and  strength  to  follow  ; 
yet  surely  it  is  but  the  part  of  wisdom  to  pre 
pare  for  either  event." 

"  Yes  ;  and  I  am  sure  you  are  fully  prepared, 


144  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

at  least  so  far  as  your  eternal  welfare  is  con* 
cerned  ;  should  you  be  called  away — our  grief 
will  be  for  ourselves  alone." 

"  I  am  glad  the  choice  is  not  left  with  me," 
she  said,  in  low,  sweet  tones,  after  a  moment's 
silence.  "  For  your  dear  sake,  papa,  and  that 
of  my  beloved  children,  I  am  more  than  willing 
to  stay  here  on  earth  for  many  more  years,  yet 
the  thought  of  being  forever  with  the  Lord — 
near  him  and  like  him — thrills  my  heart  with 
joy  unspeakable,  while  added  to  that  is  a  great 
gladness  in  the  prospect  of  reunion  with  the 
dear  husband  who  has  gone  before  me  to  that 
happy  land.  So  I  am  not  to  be  pitied,  my  dear 
father,"  she  added,  with  a  beautiful  smile  ;  "  and 
can  you  not  I'ejoice  with  me  that  the  choice  is 
not  mine  but  lies  with  him  whose  love  for  us 
both  is  far  greater  than  ours  for  each  other  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied  with  emotion  ;  "  blessed  be 
his  holy  name  that  we  may  leave  it  all  in  his 
hands,  trusting  in  his  infinite  wisdom  and  love  ; 
knowing  that  if  called  to  part  for  a  season,  we 
shall  be  reunited  in  heaven,  never  again  to  be 
torn  asunder." 

**  Yes,  dear  father ;  we  cannot  expect  to  go 
quite  together,  but  when  reunited  there  in  that 
blessed  land,  never  again  to  part,  the  time  of 
separation  will  seem  to  have  been  very  short ; 
even  as  nothing  compared  to  the  long,  the  un 
ending  eternity  we  shall  spend  together. 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  145 

"  And  oh,  what  an  eternity  of  joy  and  bliss, 
forever  freed  from  sin  and  suffering,  near  and 
like  our  Lord,  altogether  pleasing  in  his  sight, 
no  doubts,  no  fears,  the  battle  fought,  the  vic 
tory  won.  '  And  there  shall  be  no  more  curse, 
but  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  shall 
be  in  it,  and  his  servants  shall  serve  him  ;  and 
they  shall  see  his  face  ;  and  his  name  shall 
be  in  their  foreheads.  And  there  shall  be  no 
night  there  ;  and  they  need  no  candle,  neither 
light  of  the  sun  ;  for  the  Lord  God  giveth  them 
light,  and  they  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever  ! ' ' 

"  Yes,  my  darling  ;  blessed  be  his  holy  name 
for  the  many  great  and  precious  promises  of 
his  word,  and  I  have  not  a  doubt  of  your 
full  preparation  for  either  event  ;  but  oh,  that 
it  may  please  him  to  spare  you  to  me  as  the 
light,  comfort,  joy  of  my  remaining  days  ! 
Yet  should  it  please  him  to  take  you  to  him 
self — ah,  I  cannot,  dare  not  allow  myself  to  con 
template  so  terrible  a  bereavement,"  he  added, 
in  low  anguished  accents,  as  he  bent  over  her, 
softly  smoothing  her  hair  with  tenderly  caress* 
ing  touch. 

"  Then  do  not,  dear  father,"  she  said,  lifting 
to  his  eyes  full  of  ardent  love  and  sympathy  ; 
"  try  to  leave  it  all  with  the  dear  Master,  and 
he  will  fulfil  to  you  his  precious  promise,  *  As 
thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be.'  Has  it 
not  ever  been  the  testimony  of  all  his  saints 


146  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

concerning  his  precious  promises  that  not  one 
faileth  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  and  so  will  it  ever  be.  By 
his  grace  I  will  trust  and  not  be  afraid  for  you, 
my  beloved  child  ;  nor  for  myself,  his  most  un 
worthy  servant." 

Then  with  an  upward  glance,  "  '  Lord  increase 
our  faith.'  Oh,  help  us  each  to  trust  in  thee  and 
not  to  be  afraid,  be  the  way  ever  so  dark  and 
dreary,  remembering  thy  gracious  promise,  '  I 
will  in  no  wise  fail  thee,  neither  will  I  in  any 
wise  forsake  thee.' " 

"Sweet,  sweet  words,  papa,"  she  said,  low 
and  tremulously,  lifting  to  his  eyes  full  of  glad, 
grateful  tears. 

"  And  those  others,  '  When  thou  passeth 
through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee  ;  and 
through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee  ; 
when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire,  thou  shalt 
not  be  burned  ;  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle 
upon  thee.  For  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy  Saviour.' 

"  Oh,  what  more  could  I  ask  ?  what  have  I  to 
do  with  doubt  or  fear,  sin3e  he  is  mine  and  I 
am  his  ?  " 

"  Only  the  physical  pain,"  he  said,  low  and 
tenderly  ;  "  and  Arthur  tells  me  that  with  the 
help  of  anaesthetics  there  will  be  little  or  none 
of  that  during  the  operation,  but " 

"  What  may  come  afterward  can  be   easily 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  147 

borne,  dear  papa,"  she  said,  as  lie  paused,  over« 
come  by  emotion. 

"  My  dear,  brave  darling  !  a  more  patient, 
resigned  sufferer  never  lived  !  "  was  his  moved, 
though  low-breathed,  exclamation. 

A  moment's  silence  fell  between  them,  he 
leaning  over  and  caressing  her  with  exceeding 
tenderness ;  then, "  Papa,"  she  said,  with  a  loving 
look  up  into  his  eyes, "  I  cannot  bear  to  see  you 
so  distressed.  Arthur  holds  out  strong  hope  of 
cure,  of  speedy  and  entire  recovery ;  and  we 
may  be  spared  to  each  other  for  many  years  if 
the  will  of  God  be  so  ;  but — surely  it  is  my 
wisest  plan  to  prepare  for  every  possibility. 

"I  feel  very  easy  about  my  dear  children, 
most  of  them  having  already  arrived  at  years  of 
maturity,  and  being  comfortably  settled  in  life  ; 
Edward  and  my  two  older  daughters,  at  least ; 
while  the  others  I  can  leave  in  the  safest  of 
earthly  hands,  even  those  of  my  dear  and  hon- 
ered  father,  whose  love  for  them  is  only  second 
ary  to  my  own  ;  and  for  each  one  I  have  reason 
to  hope  that  the  good  part  has  been  chosen 
which  can  never  be  taken  away." 

"  I  do  indeed  love  them  very  dearly,"  he  re 
sponded,  "  for  their  own  sake,  their  father's, 
and  most  of  all  because  they  are  the  offspring 
of  my  own  beloved  child.  Should  I  outlive 
her,  they  shall  want  for  nothing  their  grand 
father  can  do  to  make  them  happy." 


148  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  I  know  it,  dear  father,  and  can  leave  them 
to  your  and  their  heavenly  Father's  care  with 
out  a  doubt  or  fear,"  she  said,  with  a  gentle 
sigh  over  the  thought  of  the  parting  with  her 
darlings  that  might  be  so  near. 

She  went  on  to  speak  of  some  business  mat 
ters,  then  said  :  "  I  think  that  is  all,  papa.  I 
do  not  care  to  make  any  alteration  in  my  will  ; 
and,  as  you  know,  you  and  brother  Horace  are 
my  executors.  To-morrow  I  must  have  a  little 
talk  with  each  of  my  children,  and  then  I  shall 
be  ready  for  Arthur  and  his  assistants. 

"  I  want  all  my  children  near  at  hand  in  case 
of  an  unfavorable  result  and  that  I  am  able  to 
say  a  few  last  words,  bidding  them  all  fare 
well." 

There  was  again  a  moment  of  silence,  her 
father  seeming  too  much  overcome  to  speak  ; 
then  she  went  on  :  "I  think  they  must  not  be 
told  to-night,  that  the  two  younger  ones  need 
know  nothing  of  the  danger  till  the  morning 
of  the  operation.  I  would  spare  them  all  the 
suffering  of  anticipation  that  I  can  ;  and  were 
I  but  sure,  quite  sure,  of  going  safely  through 
it  all,  they  should  know  nothing  of  it  till  after 
ward  ;  but  I  cannot  rob  them  of  a  few  last 
words  with  their  mother." 

"  My  darling  !  always  unselfish,  always  think 
ing  of  others  first  ! "  Mr.  Dinsmore  said,  in 
moved  tones,  bending  over  her  and  pressing  his 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  149 

lips  again  and  again  to  her  pale  cheek  and 
brow. 

"Surely  almost  any  mother  would  think  of 
her  children  before  herself,"  she  returned  with  a 
eweet,  sad  smile. 

But  just  at  that  instant  childish  footsteps 
were  heard  in  the  hall  without,  then  a  gentle 
rap  on  the  door,  and  Walter's  voice  asking, 
"  Mamma,  may  I  come  in  ?  " 

"Yes,  my  son,"  she  answered,  in  cheerful 
tones,  and  in  a  moment  he  was  at  her  side,  ask* 
ing,  in  some  alarm  and  anxiety,  "Mamma,  dear., 
are  you  sick?"  bending  over  her  as  he  spoke, 
and  pressing  ardent  kisses  upon  cheek  and  lip 
and  brow. 

"  Not  very,  mother's  darling  baby  boy,"  she 
answered,  lifting  to  his  eyes  full  of  tender 
mother  love. 

" '  Baby  boy  ? '"  repeated  Walter,  with  a  merry 
laugh,  gently  smoothing  her  hair,  and  patting 
her  cheek  lovingly,  while  he  spoke.  "  Mamma, 
dear,  have  you  forgotten  that  I  am  eleven  years 
old?" 

"  No,  dear  ;  but  for  all  that  you  are  still 
mother's  dear,  dear  baby  boy  !  "  she  said,  hug 
ging  him  close. 

"Well,  I  shan't  mind  your  calling  me  that, 
you  dearest  mamma,"  laughed  Walter,  repeat 
ing  his  caresses  ;  "  but  nobody  else  must  do  it." 

"  Not   even   gi-andpa  ? "  queried   Mr,    Dins- 


150  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

more,  with  a  proudly  affectionate  smile  into  the 
bright  young  face. 

"  I  don't  think  you'd  want  to,  grandpa,"  re 
turned  the  lad,  "  because,  you  know,  you're  al 
ways  telling  me  I  must  try  to  be  a  manly  boy. 
But  I  came  up  to  remind  you  and  mamma  that 
it's  time  for  prayers.  Grandma  sent  me  to  do 
so  and  to  ask  if  you  could  both  come  down 
now." 

"  You  will  not  think  of  going  down,  Elsie  ?  " 
Mr.  Dinsmore  exclaimed  in  surprise,  as  his 
daughter  made  a  movement  as  if  to  rise  from 
her  couch. 

"  Yes,  papa,"  she  returned.  "  I  have  been 
resting  here  for  some  hours  and  feel  quite  able 
to  join  the  family  now.  I  am  not  in  pain  at 
this  moment,  and  Arthur  said  nothing  about 
keeping  to  my  room." 

"  Then  I  wouldn't,  mamma,"  said  Walter, 
slipping  his  hand  into  hers.  "  I'm  sure  Cousin 
Arthur's  always  ready  enough  to  order  us  to 
keep  to  our  rooms  if  there's  any  occasion.  I'm 
glad  he  doesn't  think  you  sick  enough  to  have 
to  do  that." 

His  mother  only  smiled  in  reply,  and,  taking 
her  father's  offered  arm,  moved  on  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  stairway,  Walter  still  clinging  to 
her  other  hand. 

Anxious  looks  and  inquiries  greeted  her  on 
their  entrance  into  the  parlor,  where  family  and 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  151 

servants  were  already  gathered  for  the  evening 
service  ;  but  she  parried  them  all  with  such 
cheery  words  and  bright  sweet  smiles  as  set  their 
fears  at  rest  for  the  time. 

But  those  of  Edward  were  presently  rearoused 
as — the  younger  members  of  the  family  and 
the  servants  having  retired  from  the  room — 
he  noticed  a  look  of  keen,  almost  anguished  anxi 
ety,  bestowed  by  his  grandfather  upon  his 
mother  ;  then  that  her  cheek  was  unusually  pale. 

"  Mother  dear,  you  are  not  well ! "  he  ex- 
Claimed,  hastily  rising  and  going  to  her. 

"  No,  not  quite,  my  dear  boy,"  she  replied, 
smiling  up  at  him  ;  "  but  do  not  look  so  dis 
tressed  ;  none  of  us  can  expect  always  to  es 
cape  all  illness.  I  am  going  back  to  my  room 
now  and,  though  able  to  do  so  without  assist 
ance,  will  accept  the  support  of  the  arm  of  my 
eldest  son,  if  it  is  offered  me." 

"  Gladhr,  mother  dear,  unless  you  will  let  me 
carry  you  ;  which  I  am  fully  able  to  do." 

"  Oh,  no,  Ned,"  she  said  laughingly,  as  she 
rose  and  put  her  hand  within  his  arm  ;  "  the 
day  may  possibly  come  when  I  shall  tax  your 
young  strength  to  that  extent,  but  it  is  not  nec 
essary  now.  Papa,  dear,"  turning  to  him,"  shall 
I  say  good -night  to  you  now  ?" 

"  No,  no,"  Mr.  Dinsmore  answered,  with  some 
emotion,  "I  shall  step  into  your  rooms  for  that 
as  it  is  on  my  way  to  my  own." 


152  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  I,  too,"  said  Mrs.  Dinsmore  ;  "  and  perhaps 
you  will  let  me  play  the  nurse  for  you  if  you 
are  not  feeling  quite  well." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  mamma.  In  case 
your  kind  services  are  really  needed  I  shall  not 
hesitate  to  let  you  know.  And  I  am  always 
glad  to  see  you  in  my  rooms." 

"Mother,  you  are  actually  panting  for 
breath  ! "  Edward  exclaimed  when  they  were 
half-way  up  the  stairs.  "I  shall  carry  you," 
and  taking  her  in  his  arms  as  he  spoke,  he  bore 
her  to  her  boudoir  and  laid  her  tenderly  down 
on  its  couch.  "  Oh,  mother  dear,"  he  said,  in 
quivering  tones, "  tell  me  all.  Why  should  your 
eldest  son  be  shut  out  from  your  confidence  ?  * 

"  My  dear  boy,"  she  answered,  putting  her 
hand  into  his,  "  can  you  not  rest  content  till  to 
morrow  ?  Why  should  you  think  that  any« 
thing  serious  ails  me  ?  " 

"  Your  pale  looks  and  evident  weakness,"  he 
said,  "  grandpa's  distressed  countenance  as  he 
turns  his  eyes  on  you,  and  the  unusually  sober, 
serious  look  of  Cousin  Arthur  as  I  met  him  pass 
ing  out  of  the  house  to-night.  He  had  been 
with  you,  had  he  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  son,  and  I  meant  that  you  and  your 
sisters  should  know  all  to-morrow  or  the  next 
day.  It  is  only  for  your  own  sake  I  would  have 
had  you  spared  the  knowledge  till  then." 

"Dearest   mother,  tell  me   all  now,"  he  en* 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  153 

treated  ;  "  for  surely  no  certainty  can  be  worse 
than  this  dreadful  suspense." 

"  No,  I  suppose  not,"  she  replied  in  sorrowful 
tones,  her  eyes  gazing  into  his,  full  of  tenderest 
mother  love.  Then  in  a  few  brief  sentences  she 
told  him  all. 

"  Oh,  mother  dear ;  dearest  mother ! "  he  cried, 
clasping  her  close,  "  if  I,  your  eldest  son,  might 
but  take  and  bear  it  all — the  pain  and  the  danger 
— for  you,  how  gladly  I  would  do  so  !  " 

"  I  do  not  doubt  it,  my  own  dear  boy,"  she 
returned,  in  moved  tones,  "but  it  cannot  be  ; 
each  of  us  must  bear  his  or  her  own  burden 
and  I  rejoice  that  this  is  mine  rather  than  that 
of  my  dear  son.  Do  not  grieve  for  me  ;  do  not 
be  too  anxious  ;  remember  that  he  whose  love 
for  me  is  far  greater  than  any  earthly  love  ap 
points  it  all,  and  it  shall  be  for  good.  'We 
know  that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to 
them  that  love  God.'  Blessed,  comforting  as 
surance  !  And  how  sweet  are  those  words  of 
Jesus,  'What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now ;  but 
thou  shalt  know  hereafter  ! ' ' 

"  Yes,  dearest  mother,"  he  said,  with  emotion, 
"  and  for  you  it  will  be  all  joy,  the  beginning  of 
an  eternity  of  bliss,  if  it  shall  please  him  to  take 
you  to  himself  ;  but  oh,  how  hard  it  will  be  for 
your  children  to  learn  to  live  without  you  !  But 
I  will  hope  and  pray  that  the  result  may  be  for 
you  restored  health  and  a  long  and  happy  life." 


154  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

For  some  moments  he  held  her  in  a  close  em 
brace,  then,  at  the  sound  of  approaching  foot 
steps  in  the  hall  without,  laid  her  gently  down 
upon  her  pillows. 

"  Keep  it  from  Zoe  for  to-night,  if  possible," 
Bhe  said  softly.  "  Dear  little  woman  !  I  would 
not  have  her  robbed  of  her  night's  rest." 

"  I  will  try,  mother  dear,"  he  said,  pressing 
his  lips  again  and  again  to  hers.  "God  grant 
you  sweet  and  refreshing  sleep,  but  oh,  do  not 
for  a  moment  hesitate  to  summon  me  if  there  is 
anything  I  can  do  to  relieve  you,  should  you  be 
in  pain,  or  to  add  in  any  way  to  your  comfort." 

She  gave  the  desired  promise  and  he  stole 
softly  from  the  room  ;  but  not  to  join  his  wife 
till  some  moments  of  solitude  had  enabled  him 
BO  to  conquer  his  emotion  that  he  could  appear 
before  her  with  a  calm  and  untroubled  counte 
nance.  ' 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dinsmore  passed  into  the 
boudoir  as  he  left  it.  Rose  had  just  learned 
from  her  husband  of  his  talk  of  that  evening 
with  Dr.  Conly,  and  what  the  physician  had 
then  told  him  of  his  daughter's  condition  and 
the  trial  awaiting  her  in  the  near  future. 

Rose  was  full  of  sympathy  for  Elsie,  and  so 
overcome  at  the  thought  of  the  trial  she  must 
so  soon  pass  through  that  she  could  scarcely 
epeak. 

They  clung  to  each  other  in  a  long,  tender 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  155 

embrace,  Rose  shedding  tears,  Elsie  calm  and 
quiet. 

"  You  will  let  me  be  with  you,  dear  Elsie  ?  " 
ehe  said  at  last.  "  Oh,  how  willingly  I  would 
help  you  bear  it  if  I  could  !  " 

"  Dear  mamma,  how  kind  you  are  and  have 
always  been  to  me  ! "  exclaimed  the  low  sweet 
voice.  "  Your  presence  will  be  a  great  support 
while  consciousness  remains,  but  after  that  I 
would  have  you  spared  the  trial. 

"  Don't  fear  for  me  ;  I  know  that  it  will  all  be 
well.  How  glad  I  am  that  should  I  be  taken 
you  will  be  left  to  comfort  my  dear  father  and 
children.  Yet  I  think  that  I  shall  be  spared. 
Arthur  holds  out  a  strong  hope  of  a  favorable 
termination. 

"  So,  dear  father,"  turning  to  him  and  putting 
her  hand  in  his,  "  be  comforted.  Be  strong  and 
of  a  good  courage  !  Do  not  let  anxiety  for  me 
rob  you  of  your  needed  rest  and  sleep." 

"For  your  dear  sake,  my  darling,  I  will  try 
to  follow  your  advice,"  he  answered,  with  emo 
tion,  as  in  his  turn  he  folded  her  to  his  heart 
and  bade  her  good-night. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  next  morning  found  Mrs.  Travilla  calm 
and  peaceful,  even  cheerful,  ready  for  either 
life  or  death.  She  was  up  at  her  usual  early 
hour,  and  Rosie  and  Walter,  coming  in  for  their 
accustomed  half  hour  of  Bible  reading  with 
mamma,  found  her  at  her  writing-desk  just  fin 
ishing  a  note  to  Violet. 

"Dear  mamma,"  exclaimed  Walter,  in  a  tone 
of  delight,  "you  are  looking  so  much  better 
and  brighter  this  morning.  I  was  really 
troubled  about  you  last  night  lest  you  were 
going  to  be  ill  ;  you  were  so  pale,  and  grandpa 
looked  so  worried." 

"  Grandpa  is  always  easily  frightened  about 
mamma  if  she  shows  the  slightest  indication  of 
illness,"  said  Rosie  ;  "  as  indeed  we  all  are, 
because  she  is  so  dear  and  precious ;  our  very 
greatest  earthly  treasure. 

"  Mamma  dearest,  I  am  so  rejoiced  that  you 
are  not  really  sick  ! "  she  added,  dropping  on 
her  knees  beside  her  mother's  chair,  clasping 
her  arms  about  her,  and  kissing  her  again  and 
again  with  ardent  affection. 

"  I,  too,"  Walter  said,  taking  his  station  on 

156 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  157 

fcer  other  side,  putting  an  arm  round  her  neck, 
and  pressing  his  lips  to  her  cheek. 

She  returned  their  caresses  with  words  of 
mother  love,  tears  shining  in  her  eyes  at  the 
thought  that  this  might  prove  almost  her  last 
opportunity. 

"  What  do  you  think,  Rosie  ? "  laughed 
Walter.  "  Mamma  called  me  her  baby  boy 
last  night  ;  me — a  great  fellow  of  eleven.  I 
think  you  must  be  her  baby  girl." 

But  Rosie  made  no  reply.  She  was  gazing 
earnestly  into  her  mother's  face.  "  Mamma 
dear,"  she  said  anxiously,  "  you  are  not  well ! 
you  are  suffering !  Oh,  what  is  it  ails 
you  ?  " 

"  I  am  in  some  pain,  daughter,"  Elsie  answered, 
in  a  cheerful  tone  ;  "  but  Cousin  Arthur  hopes 
to  be  able  to  relieve  it  in  a  day  or  two." 

"  Oh,  I  am  glad  to  hear  that ! "  Rosie  ex 
claimed,  with  a  sigh  of  relief.  "  Dearest  mamma, 
I  do  not  know  how  I  could  ever  bear  to  have 
you  very  ill." 

"  Should  that  trial  ever  come  to  you,  daugh 
ter  dear,  look  to  God  for  strength  to  endure  it," 
her  mother  said  in  sweetly  solemn  accents,  as 
she  gently  smoothed  Rosie's  hair  with  her  soft 
white  hand  and  gazed  lovingly  into  her  eyes. 
"  Do  not  be  troubled  about  the  future,  but  trust 
his  gracious  promise  :  *  As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy 
strength  be  1 '  Many  and  many  a  time  has  it 


158  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

been  fulfilled  to  me  and  to  all  who  have  put 
their  trust  in  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mamma,  I  know  you  have  had  some 
hard  trials,  and  yet  you  always  seem  so  happy." 

"  You  look  happy  now,  mamma  ;  are  you  ?  " 
asked  Walter,  a  little  anxiously. 

"  Yes,  my  son,  I  am,"  she  said,  smiling  affec 
tionately  upon  him.  "  Now  let  us  have  our 
reading,"  turning  over  the  leaves  of  her  Bible 
as  she  spoke.  "  We  will  take  the  twenty-third 
psalm.  It  is  short,  and  so  very  sweet  and  com 
forting." 

They  did  so,  Elsie  making  a  few  brief 
remarks,  especially  on  the  fourth  verse,  which 
neither  Rosie  nor  Walter  ever  forgot. 

She  followed  them  with  a  short  prayer,  and 
just  at  its  close  her  father  came  in,  and,  sending 
the  children  away,  spent  alone  with  his  daugh 
ter  the  few  minutes  that  remained  before  the 
ringing  of  the  breakfast  bell. 

He  obeyed  the  summons,  but  she  remained  in 
her  own  apartments,  a  servant  carrying  her 
meal  to  her. 

It  was  something  very  unusual  for  her,  and, 
joined  to  an  unusual  silence  on  the  part  of  their 
grandfather,  accompanied  by  a  sad  countenance 
and  occasional  heavy  sigh,  and  similar  symptoms 
shown  by  both  Grandma  Rose  and  Edward,  ex 
cited  surprise  and  apprehension  on  the  part  of 
the  younger  members  of  the  household. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  150 

Family  worship,  as  was  the  ruh\  followed 
immediately  upon  the  conclusion  of  the  meal, 
and  Mr.  Dinsmore's  feeling  petition  on  behalf 
of  the  sick  one  increased  the  alarnx  of  Rosie 
and  Zoe. 

Both  followed  Edward  out  upon  the  veranda, 
asking  anxiously  what  ailed  mamma. 

At  first  he  tried  to  parry  their  questions,  but 
his  own  ill-concealed  distress  only  increased 
their  alarm  and  rendered  them  the  more  per 
sistent. 

"There  is  something  serious  ailing  mamma,n 
he  said  at  length,  "but  Cousin  Arthur  hopes 
soon  to  be  able  to  relieve  her.  The  cure  is 
somewhat  doubtful,  however,  and  that  is  what 
so  distresses  grandpa,  grandma,  and  me.  Oh,  let 
ua  all  pray  for  her,  pleading  the  Master's  pre» 
cious  promise,  *  If  two  of  you  shall  agree  on 
earth  as  touching  anything  that  they  shall  ask, 
it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is 
in  heaven.' 

"  Mamma  has  sent  for  my  sisters  Elsie  and 
Violet.  She  wants  as  many  of  her  children  and 
grandchildren  near  her  as  possible  ;  but  Harold 
and  Herbert  have  to  be  left  out  because,  being 
so  far  away,  there  is  not  time  to  summon 
them." 

"  O  Ned,"  cried  Rosie,  in  an  agony  of  terror, 
"  is — is  mamma  in  immediate  danger  ?  What— 
what  is  it  Cousin  Arthur  is  going  to  do  ?  " 


260  ELSIE'S   VACATION, 

"  A — surgical  operation  is,  he  says,  the  only 
•—only  thing  that  can  possibly  save  her  life,  and 
—he  hopes  it  will." 

"  But  he  isn't  certain  ?  O  mamma,  niamma !  " 
cried  Rosie,  bursting  into  an  uncontrollable  fit 
of  weeping. 

Zoe  was  sobbing  too,  Edward  holding  her  in 
bis  arms  and  scarce  able  to  refrain  from  joining 
•with  her,  and  at  that  moment  the  Fairview 
carriage  drove  up,  and  Elsie  Leland,  'alighting 
therefrom,  quickly  came  in  among  them,  asking 
in  alarm,  as  she  saw  their  tear-stained,  agitated 
faces,  "  What  is  the  matter  ?  Oh,  is  mamma 
ill  ?  " 

Then  Edward's  story  had  to  be  repeated  to 
her,  and  shortly  after  to  Violet,  who,  with  her 
children,  arrived  a  little  later. 

They  too  seemed  almost  overwhelmed  with 
distress. 

"  Can  we  go  to  her  ?  "  Violet  asked,  and  Mrs. 
Dinsmore,  who  had  just  joined  them,  replied, 
"  Not  yet ;  your  grandpa  is  with  her,  and 
wishes  to  have  her  to  himself  for  a  while." 

"  Ob,  I  hope  be  will  not  keep  us  long  away 
from  her,  our  own,  own  dear  mother  !**  exclaimed 
Rosie,  with  a  fresh  burst  of  tears  and  sobs. 

"  I  think  not  long,  Rosie,  dear,"  Mrs.  Dins- 
more  replied  soothingly,  putting  an  arm  round 
the  weeping  girl  as  she  spoke,  and  smoothing 
her  hair  with  gently  caressing  hand.  "Your 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  161 

mamma  will  be  asking  for  you  all  presently. 
She  has  said  that  until  the  danger  is  past,  she 
wants  you  all  near  enough  to  be  summoned  to 
her  side  in  a  moment." 

"  And  I — we  all — know  she  is  ready  for  any 
event,"  Elsie  Leland  said,  in  trembling,  tear 
ful  tones. 

"  Yes  ;  and  I  believe  God  will  spare  her  to 
us  for  years  to  come,  in  answer  to  our  prayers," 
remarked  Mrs.  Dinsmore  in  cheerful,  hopeful 
accents.  ' 

Walter  had  gone  out  into  the  grounds  at  the 
time  the  older  ones  repaired  to  the  veranda, 
and  Grace,  with  Violet's  little  ones,  had  joined 
him  there  on  alighting  from  the  carriage  which 
had  brought  them  from  Woodburn. 

The  four  now  came  running  in  and  Walter, 
noticing  the  looks  of  grief  and  anxiety  on  the 
faces  of  the  older  people  asked  anxiously, 
"  What's  the  matter,  folks  ? "  then  added 
quickly.  "  Oh,  I  hope  mamma  is  not  worse  ! 
Is  that  it,  grandma  ?  "  His  query  was  not  an- 
swered,  for  at  that  moment  Dr.  Conly's  carriage 
came  driving  up  the  avenue.  All  crowded 
about  him  as  be  alighted  and  came  up  the  steps 
into  the  veranda.  That,  however,  was  nothing 
new  for  he  was  a  great  favorite,  being  not  only 
their  relative,  but  their  trusted  and  valued  phy« 
gician, 

"You   have   come   to   see  mamma?"  Mrsi 


162  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

Leland  said,  half  inquiringly.  "Oh,  Cousin 
Arthur,  do  be  frank  with  us  !  do  tell  us  plainly 
what  you  think  of  her  case." 

"  It  is  a  serious  one,  Cousin  Elsie,  I  will  not 
deny  that,"  the  doctor  replied,  a  very  grave  and 
concerned  look  on  his  face  as  he  spoke,  "and 
yet  I  have  strong  hope  of  complete  recovery  ; 
BO  do  not  any  of  you  give  way  to  despair,  but 
unite  together  in  prayer  for  God's  blessing  on 
the  means  used." 

"  Can  I  see  her  now,  Aunt  Rose  ?  "  he  asked, 
turning  to  Mrs.  Dinsmore.  "I  think  so,"  she 
replied,  leading  the  way,  the  doctor  following, 
while  the  others  remained  where  they  were, 
waiting  in  almost  silent  suspense. 

To  them  all  it  seemed  a  long,  sad  day.  One 
at  a  time  they  were  admitted  to  a  short  inter 
view  with  their  mother,  in  which  she  spoke  with 
each  one  as  though  it  might  be  her  last  oppor 
tunity,  the  burden  of  her  talk  being  always  an 
earnest  exhortation  to  a  life  hid  with  God  in 
Christ  ;  a  life  of  earnest,  loving  service  to  him 
who  had  died  to  redeem  them  from  sin  and 
eternal  death. 

She  was  very  cheerful  and  spoke  hopefully  of 
the  result  of  the  operation,  yet  added  that,  as  it 
might  prove  fatal,  and  in  a  way  to  leave  her 
neither  time  nor  strength  for  these  last  words, 
she  must  speak  them  now  ;  but  they  need  not 
despair  of  seeing  her  restored  to  health  and 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  163 

given  many  more  years  of  sweet  companionship 
with  her  loved  ones. 

Walter,  as  the  youngest,  took  his  turn  last. 

For  many  minutes  he  could  do  nothing  but 
sob  on  his  mother's  breast.  "O  mamma, 
mamma,"  he  cried,  "  I  cannot,  cannot  do  without 
you!" 

"Mother  knows  it  will  be  hard  for  her  baby 
boy  at  first,"  she  said,  low  and  tenderly,  hold 
ing  him  close  to  her  heart ;  "  but  some  day  you 
will  come  to  mamma  in  that  happy  land  where 
there  is  no  parting,  no  death,  and  where  sorrow 
and  sighing  shall  flee  away  ;  the  land  where 
'the  inhabitant  shall  not  say  I  am  sick';  the 
land  where  there  is  no  sin,  no  suffering  of  any 
kind,  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from 
our  eyes. 

"  My  darling,  my  little  son,  there  is  nothing 
else  mother  so  desires  for  you  as  that  you  may 
be  a  lamb  of  Christ's  fold,  and  I  have  strong 
hopes  that  you  already  are.  You  know  that 
Jesus  died  to  save  sinners ;  that  he  is  able  to 
save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto  God  by 
him  ;  that  you  can  do  nothing  to  earn  salvation, 
but  must  take  it  as  God's  free  unmerited  gift : 
that  Jesus  says,  '  Him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will 
in  no  wise  cast  out.'  All  this  you  know,  my 
son?" 

"  Yes,  mamma  dearest,"  he  sobbed.  "  Oh, 
how  good  it  was  in  him  to  die  that  cruel  death 


164  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

that  we  might  live  !  Yes,  I  do  love  him,  and  he 
won't  be  angry  with  me  because  I'm  almost 
heartbroken  at  the  thought  of  having  to  do 
without  my  dear,  dear  mother,  for  many  years. 
O  mamma,  mamma,  how  can  I  live  without 
you?" 

"  It  may  please  the  dear  Lord  Jesus  to  spare 
you  that  trial,  my  darling  boy,"  she  said.  "  I 
know  that  he  will,  if  in  his  infinite  wisdom  he 
sees  it  to  be  for  the  best. 

"And  we  must  just  trust  him,  remembering 
those  sweet  Bible  words,  '  We  know  that  all 
things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God.'  Leave  it  all  with  him,  my  darling,  feel 
ing  perfectly  sure  that  whatever  he  orders  will 
be  for  the  best  ;  that  though  we  may  not  ba 
able  to  see  it  so  now,  we  shall  at  the  last." 

"  But,  mamma,  I  must  pray  that  you  may  be 
cured  and  live  with  us  for  many,  many  years. 
It  will  not  be  wrong  to  ask  him  for  that  ?  " 

"  No,  not  if  you  ask  in  submission  to  his  will, 
remembering  that  no  one  of  us  knows  what  is 
really  for  our  highest  good.  Remember  his 
own  prayer  in  his  agony  there  in  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane,  '  Father,  if  thou  be  willing,  re 
move  this  cup  from  me  :  nevertheless,  not  my 
will,  but  thine,  be  done.' 

"  He  is  our  example  <»nd  we  must  strive 
to  be  equally  submissive  to  the  Father's  will* 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  165 

Remember  what  the  dear  Master  said  to  Peter, 
'  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now ;  but  thou 
shalt  know  hereafter.' " 

"  Mamma,  I  will  try  to  be  perfectly  submis 
sive  to  his  will,  even  if  it  is  to  take  you  away 
from  me  ;  but  oh,  I  must  pray,  pray,  pray  as 
hard  as  I  can  that  it  may  please  him  to  spare 
your  dear  life  and  let  me  keep  my  mother  at 
least  till  I  am  grown  to  be  a  man.  It  won't  be 
wrong,  mamma  ?  " 

"  No,-  my  darling  boy,  I  think  not — if  with  it 
all  you  can  truly,  from  your  heart,  say, '  thy  will, 
not  mine,  be  done.' " 

When  Captain  Raymond  followed  his  wife 
and  little  ones  to  Ion,  he  found  there  a  dis 
tressed  household,  anxious  and  sorely  troubled 
over  the  suffering  and  danger  of  the  dearly  be 
loved  mother  and  mistress.  Violet  met  him  on 
the  veranda,  her  cheeks  pale  and  showing  traces 
of  tears,  her  eyes  full  of  them. 

"  My  darling  !  "  he  exclaimed  in  surprise  and 
alarm,  "  what  is  the  matter  ?  " 

He  clasped  her  in  his  arms  as  he  spoke,  and 
dropping  her  head  upon  his  shoulder,  she  sobbed 
out  the  story  of  her  mother's  suffering  and  the 
trial  that  awaited  her  on  the  morrow. 

His  grief  and  concern  were  scarcely  less  than 
her  own,  but  he  tried  to  speak  words  of  comfort 
to  both  her  and  the  others  to  whom  the  loved 


166  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

invalid  was  so  inexpressibly  dear.  To  the  be 
loved  invalid  also  when,  like  the  rest,  he  was 
accorded  a  short  interview. 

Yet  he  found  to  his  admiring  surprise  that 
she  seemed  in  small  need  of  such  service — so 
calm,  so  peaceful,  so  entirely  ready  for  any  event 
was  she. 

Finding  his  presence  apparently  a  source  of 
strength  and  consolation,  not  only  to  his  young 
wife,  but  to  all  the  members  of  the  stricken 
household,  he  remained  till  after  tea,  but  then 
returned  home  for  the  night,  principally  for 
Lulu's  sake  ;  not  being  willing  to  leave  the 
alone,  or  nearly  so,  «  that  great  house. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  duties  of  the  schoolroom  had  failed  up 
the- rest  of  the  morning  for  Lulu,  so  occupying 
her  mind  that  she  could  give  only  an  occasional 
thought  to  the  sad  fact  that  she  was  in  disgrace 
with  her  father. 

Then  came  dinner,  Avhich  she  took  in  the 
dining-room,  feeling  it  lonely  enough  with  the 
whole  family  absent ;  immediately  after  that  a 
music  lesson  filled  another  hour,  and  that  was 
followed  by  an  hour  of  practice  on  the  piano. 

Then  Alma  wanted  her  again,  and  then, 
knowing  it  was  what  her  father  would  approve> 
she  took  her  usual  exercise  about  the  grounds  j 
after  which  she  prepared  her  lessons  for  the  next 
day. 

But  all  the  time  her  heart  was  heavy  with  the 
consciousness  that  "  papa,  dear  papa,"  was  dis 
pleased  with  her,  and  she  felt  that  there  could 
be  no  happiness  frr  her  till  she  had  made  her 
peace  with  him. 

"Oh,"  she  sighed  again  and  again,  "will  he 
never,  never  come,  that  I  may  tell  him  how 
gorry  and  ashamed  I  am "  " 

107 


168  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

But  when  tea-time  came  he  was  still  absent, 
and  that  meal  also  had  to  be  taken  alone. 

She  did  not  linger  at  the  table,  and  on  leaving 
it  went  into  the  library  where  a  wood  fire 
blazed  cheerfully  on  the  hearth,  for  the  even 
ings  were  now  quite  cool,  and  settling  herself 
in  an  easy-chair  listened  for  the  sound  of  his 
coming. 

She  was  too  much  disturbed,  and  too  anxious 
to  read  or  work,  so  sat  doing  nothing  but  listen 
intently  for  the  sound  of  horses'  hoofs  or  car 
riage-wheels  on  the  drive  without. 

"  Will  he  punish  me  ?  "  she  was  asking  her 
self.  "I  believe  I  want  bim  to,  for  I'm  sure  I 
richly  deserve  it.  Oh,  there  he  is  !  I  hear  his 
voice  in  the  hall  !  "  and  her  heart  beat  fast  as 
she  sprang  up  and  ran  to  meet  him. 

He  was  already  at  the  door  of  the  room  when 
she  reached  it. 

u  Papa,"  she  said  humbly,  and  with  her  eyes 
on  the  carpet,  "  I — I'm  very,  very  sorry  for  my 
naughtiness  this  morning.  I  have  obeyed  you — 
asked  Alma's  pardon — and — please,  dear  papa, 
won't  you  forgive  me,  too  ?  " 

"Certainly,  dear  child,"  he  said,  bending: 
down  to  press  a  kiss  upon  her  lips.  "  I  am! 
always  ready  to  forgive  my  dear  children  when 
they  tell  me  they  are  sorry  for  having  offended, 
and  ready  to  obey." 

He  led  her  to  the  easy-chair  by  the  fireside, 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  169 

Fhich  she  bad  just  vacated,  and  seating  himself 
therein,  drew  her  to  a  seat  upon  his  knee. 

"  Papa,  I'm  so  sorry,  so  very  sorry  for  my 
badness,  so  ashamed  of  not  being  obedient  to 
such  a  dear,  kind  father,"  she  said,  low  and 
tremulously,  blushing  painfully  as  she  spoke. 
"  Please,  I  want  you  to  punish  me  well  for  it." 

"  Have  I  not  already  done  so,  daughter  ?  "  he 
asked.  "  I  doubt  if  this  has  been  a  happy  day 
to  you." 

"  Oh,  no,  indeed,  papa  !  I  soon  repented  of 
my  badness  and  looked  everywhere  for  you  to 
tell  you  how  sorry  I  was  and  ask  you  to  forgive 
me.  But  you  were  gone  and  so  I  had  to  wait, 
and  the  day  has  seemed  as  if  it  would  never  end, 
though  I've  been  trying  to  do  everything  I 
thought  you  would  bid  me  do  if  you  were  here." 

"  Then  I  think  I  need  add  no  further  punish 
ment,"  he  said,  softly  caressing  her  hair  and 
cheek  with  his  hand. 

"  But  please  I  want  you  to,  because  I  deserve 
it  and  ought  to  be  made  to  pay  for  such  bad 
ness  ;  and  I'm  afraid  if  I'm  not,  I'll  just  be  bad 
again  soon." 

"  Well,  daughter,"  he  replied,  "  we  will  leave 
that  question  open  to  consideration.  I  see  you 
have  books  here  on  the  table,  and  we  will  now 
attend  to  the  recitations." 

Her  recitations  were  quite  perfect,  and  ha 
gave  the  deserved  meed  of  praise,  appointed  the 


170  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

tasks  for  the  next  day,  then  drawing  her  to  his 
knee  again,  said  :  "  It  does  not  seem  to  me  nec 
essary,  daughter,  to  inflict  any  further  punish 
ment  for  the  wrong-doings  of  this  morning. 
You  are  sorry  for  them,  and  do  not  intend  to 
offend  in  the  same  way  again  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am  sorry,  papa,  and  I  don't  mean  to 
behave  so  any  more  ;  still,  I'd  feel  more  com 
fortable,  and  surer  of  not  being  just  as  bad 
again  in  a  few  days  or  weeks,  if  you'd  punish 
me.  So  please  do." 

"  Very  well,  then,  I  will  give  you  an  extra 
task  or  two,"  he  said,  taking  up  her  Latin  gram 
mar,  "  I  will  give  you  twice  the  usual  lesson  in 
this.  Then,  not  as  a  punishment,  but  for  your 
good,  I  want  you  to  search  out  all  the  texts  you 
can  find  in  God's  Holy  Word  about  the  sinful- 
ness  of  anger  and  pride  and  the  duty  of  con 
fessing  our  faults,  not  only  to  him,  but  to  those 
whom  we  have  injured  by  them." 

Opening  the  Family  Bible  which  lay  on  the 
table  close  at  hand,  "  Here  is  one  in  Proverbs," 
he  said.  "  '  He  that  covereth  his  sins  shall  not 
prosper  ;  but  whoso  confesseth  and  forsaketh 
them,  shall  have  mercy.'" 

Then  turning  to  the  New  Testament,  he  read 
again,  "  'Therefore,  if  thou  bring  thy  gift  to  the 
altar,  and  there  rememberest  that  thy  brother 
hath  aught  against  thee,  leave  there  thy  gift 
before  the  altar,  and  go  thy  way ;  first  be  re* 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  171 

eonciled  to  thy  brother,  and  then  come  and  offer 
thy  gift.' " 

"  That  is  in  Matthew,"  he  said,  "  and  here  in 
the  Epistle  of  James,"  again  turning  over  the 
leaves,  "  we  read  perhaps  the  plainest  direction 
of  all  on  the  subject,  '  Confess  your  faults  one 
to  another,  and  pray  one  for  another  that  ye 
may  be  healed.' " 

"  But,  papa "  she  paused,  hanging  her 

head  while  a  vivid  blush  suffused  her  cheeks. 

"  Well,  daughter,  what  is  it  ?  Do  not  be 
afraid  to  let  me  know  all  your  thoughts.  I 
want  you  always  to  talk  freely  to  me,  that  if 
you  are  wrong  I  may  be  able  to  convince  you  of 
the  right.  I  want  my  children  to  act  intelli 
gently,  doing  right  because  they  see  that  it  19 
right,  and  not  merely  because  papa  commands 
it." 

"  Please  don't  be  angry  with  me,  papa,  but, 
it  did  seem  to  me  a  sort  of  degradation  to  have 
to  ask  pardon  of  a — a  woman  who  has  to  work 
for  her  living  like  Alma,"  she  said  with  some 
hesitation,  blushing  and  hanging  her  head  aa 
she  spoke. 

"  I  am  very,  very  sorry  to  hear  such  sentiments 
from  a  daughter  of  mine,"  he  returned  in  a 
gravely  concerned  tone  and  with  a  slight  sigh. 
"  It  is  wicked  pride,  my  child,  that  puts  such 
thoughts  in  your  head. 

"  And  who  can  say  that  there  may  not  coma 


172  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

a  time  when  you  too  will  have  to  work  for  your 
living  ?  The  Bible  tells  us  riches  certainly  take 
to  themselves  wings  and  fly  away." 

Again  turning  over  the  leaves,  "  Here  is  the 
passage — twenty-third  chapter  of  Proverbs, 
fourth  and  fifth  verses  :  '  Labor  not  to  be  rich  ; 
cease  from  thine  own  wisdom.  "Wilt  thou  set 
thine  eyes  upon  that  which  is  not  ?  for  riches 
certainly  make  themselves  wings  ;  they  fly 
away  as  an  eagle  toward  heaven.' 

"  And  how  little  are  they  really  worth,  while 
we  have  them  ?  *  Riches  profit  not  in  the  day 
of  wrath,'  we  are  told  in  this  Holy  Book.  And 
it  says  a  great  deal  of  the  folly  and  sinfulness 
of  pride  ;  particularly  in  this  book  of  Prov 
erbs  ; "  and  turning  over  the  leaves  he  read 
here  and  there — "  '  When  pride  cometh,  then 
cometh  shame  ;  but,  with  the  lowly  is  wisdom.' 
'  Pride  goeth  before  destruction,  and  a  haughty 
spirit  before  a  fall.  Better  is  it  to  be  an  hum 
ble  spirit  with  the  lowly,  than  to  divide  the  spoil 
with  the  proud.' 

"  *  Proud  and  haughty  scorner  is  his  name 
who  dealeth  in  proud  wrath.' 

"  *  A  man's  pride  shall  bring  him  low :  but 
honor  shall  uphold  the  humble  in  spirit.' 

" '  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  to  hate  evil :  pride, 
and  arrogancy,  and  the  evil  way  and  the  f  reward 
mouth,  do  I  hate.' " 

There  was  a  moment  of  silence,  then  Lulu  said 


ELSIE'S  VACATION,  17S 

humbly,  tears  starting  to  her  eyes  as  she  spoke, 
"  Papa,  I  did  not  know — at  least  I  never  thought 
about  it — that  pride  was  so  wicked." 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "the  Bible  tells  us  that  every 
one  proud  in  heart  is  an  abomination  to  the  Lord, 
that  God  resisteth  the  proud,  but  giveth  grace 
unto  the  humble  ;  there  is  much  in  the  Bible 
against  pride  and  in  favor  of  humility.  We 
are  all  sinners,  worthy  of  nothing  good  at  the 
hands  of  God,  and  what  have  we  to  do  with 
pride?" 

"  Papa,  when  I  say  my  prayers  to-night  I  will 
ask  God  to  take  away  all  the  wicked  pride  out 
of  my  heart  ;  and  won't  you  ask  him  too  ?  " 

"  I  will,  my  darling,  as  I  have  already,  very 
many  times,  and  I  hope  you  have  not  neglected 
to  ask  him  to  forgive  your  wrong  thoughts, 
feelings,  and  actions  of  this  morning  ?  " 

"  I  have  asked  for  that,  papa,  and  I  will 
again,"  she  replied. 

They  were  silent  again  for  a  little  while,  the 
captain  looking  as  if  his  thoughts  were  far 
away ;  Lulu  was  studying  his  face  with  eyes 
that  presently  filled  with  tears. 

"  Papa,"  she  said  low,  and  half  tremulously, 
"you  look  so  sad.  Is  it  all  because  you  are 
grieved  over  my  naughtiness  ?  " 

"  No,  daughter,  not  all ;  indeed  I  was  hardly 
thinking  of  that  at  the  moment,  but  of  the  grief, 
Borrow  and  anxiety  at  Ion." 


174  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  "What  about,  papa  ?  "  she  queried  with  a 
startled  look.  "  Oh,  I  hope  that  nothing  bad 
has  happened  to  Gracie  or  Mamma  Vi,  or  our 
little  ones  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  am  thankful  that  all  is  right  with 
them  :  but  dear  Grandma  Elsie  is  in  a  very 
critical  condition  ;  I  cannot  tell  you  exactly 
what  ails  her,  but  she  has  been  suffering  very 
much  for  months  past,  keeping  it  to  herself  till 
yesterday,  when  she  told  it  all  to  Cousin  Arthur, 
and  learned  from  him  that  nothing  but  a  diffi 
cult  and  dangerous  surgical  operation  could 
save  her  life. 

"  That  is  to  be  performed  to-morrow,  and, 
whether  she  lives  or  dies,  will  relieve  her  from 
the  dreadful  agony  she  is  enduring  ;  for  no  one 
who  knows  her  can  doubt  that  she  is  one  of 
God's  dear  children.  Death  will  be  gain  to  her, 
but  a  sad  loss  to  all  of  us." 

Before  he  had  finished  Lulu's  face  was 
hidden  on  his  shoulder  and  she  was  weeping 
bitterly. 

"  O  papa,"  she  sobbed,  "  I'm  so,  so  sorry  for 
her,  dear,  dear  Grandma  Elsie  !  Isn't  she  fright 
ened  almost  to  death  ?" 

"  No,  daughter  ;  she  is  very  calm  and  peace 
ful,  ready  to  live  or  die  as  God's  will  shall  be ; 
grieving  only  for  those  who  love  her  so  dearly 
and  find  it  so  difficult  to  be  reconciled  to  the 
thought  of  losing  her ;  her  efforts  are  all  to 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  175 

comfort  them.  She  has  set  her  house  in  order 
and  seems  quite  ready  for  either  life  or  death. 

"  But  we  will  pray — you  and  I — as  the  others 
are  praying,  that  if  God's  will  be  so,  she  may 
live  and  go  in  and  out  before  us  for  many  years 
to  come." 

"  Yes,  papa.  Oh,  I  am  glad  that  we  may  ask 
our  kind  heavenly  Father  for  everything  we 
want !  Poor  Mamma  Yi  !  how  her  heart  must 
ache  !  and  is  she  going  to  stay  on  at  Ion  now, 
papa  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  certainly  till  her  mother  is  out  of 
danger  or  forever  done  with  sin  and  suffering. 
Gracie  and  our  two  little  ones  will  stay  too ; 
Gracie  amusing  the  others  and  keeping  them 
in  the  grounds,  or  a  part  of  the  house  so  dis 
tant  from  Grandma  Elsie's  room  that  their 
noise  will  not  disturb  her." 

"  And  you  and  I  will  stay  on  here,  papa  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  must  be  here  a  good  deal  of  the 
time  to  oversee  my  workmen,  and  shall  want  my 
dear  eldest  daughter  to  be  my  companion  and 
helper  in  various  ways,  for  I  know  she  loves  to 
be  such  to  her  father,"  he  added,  pressing  hia 
lips  to  her  cheek. 

"  Indeed  I  do,  papa  !  Oh,  thank  you  for  let 
ting  me  ! "  she  exclaimed,  lifting  her  head  and 
showing  eyes  shining  through  tears.  "  I'd 
rather  be  here  with  you,  than  anywhere  else, 
my  own  dear,  dear  father  !  "  putting  her  arma 


176  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

about  his  neck  and  hugging  him  close.  "  Only,11 
she  added,  "  I'd  like  to  see  Gracie  and  the  others 
for  a  little  bit  every  once  in  a  while  if  I  may.'* 

"  Yes,  you  shall,"  he  said,  returning  her  em 
brace.  "  Perhaps  I  may  be  able  to  take  you 
over  there  for  a  short  visit  almost  every  day. 
And  in  the  meantime  we  may  hope  that  lessons 
and  the  dressmaking  will  go  on  prosperously." 

"  Are  you  going  to  spend  your  nights  here  at 
home,  papa?"  she  asked  with  a  wistful,  half 
pleading  look. 

"  Yes,  dear  child  ;  I  could  not  think  of  leav 
ing  you  alone  ;  nor  would  your  Mamma  Vi 
wish  me  to  do  so  while  she  has  both  her  brother 
and  grandfather  near  her,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
women,  children,  and  servants  ;  you  will  have 
me  close  at  hand  every  night  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  day." 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  and  thankful ! "  she  said, 
with  a  sigh  of  relief.  "  I  don't  think  I  should 
be  exactly  afraid,  because  God  would  be  with 
me,  but  it  is  so  delightful  to  have  my  dear 
earthly  father  too.  May  I  sleep  in  Gracie:s 
room  to  be  nearer  to  you  \  n 

"  Yes  ;  and  with  the  door  open  between  it 
and  mine,  so  that  if  you  want  anything  in  the 
night  you  will  only  need  to  call  to  me  and  I 
will  go  to  you  at  once. 

"  Now  if  there  are  any  more  questions  you 
Would  like  answei  ed,  let  me  hear  them." 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  177 

"There  is  something  I'd  like  to  say,  papa, 
but  I'm — almost  afraid." 

"  Afraid  of  what,  daughter  ? "  he  asked,  as 
ehe  paused  in  some  embarrassment,  and  with  a 
half  pleading  look  into  his  eyes. 

"  That  you  might  think  it  saucy  and  be  dis 
pleased  with  me. 

"  Do  you  mean  it  so,  daughter  ? " 

"  Oh,  no  indeed,  papa  ! " 

"  Then  you  need  not  be  afraid  to  let  me  hear 
it." 

"  Papa,  it  is  only  that  I — I  think  if  you  had 
talked  t®  me  tnis  morning,  when  you  called 
me  to  you,  abo'jf  the  wickedness  of  being  too 
proud  to  ask  Alma's  pardon,  and  reasoned  with 
me  as  you  did  a  little  while  ago,  about  it  all, 
I — I'd  have  obeyed  you  at  once  ;  you  know  you 
do  almost  always  show  me  the  reasonableness 
of  your  commands  before,  or  when,  you  lay 
them  upon  me." 

"Yes,  my  child,"  he  said  in  a  kindly  tone, 
"  I  have  done  so  as  a  rule,  and  should  in  this 
instance,  but  that  I  was  much  hurried  for  time. 
That  will  sometimes  happen,  and  yon  and.  al? 
my  children  must  always  obey  me  promptly, 
whether  you  can  or  cannot  at  the  moment  see 
the  reasonableness  of  the  order  given.  Is  your 
estimation  of  your  father's  wisdom  and  his  love 
for  you  so  low  that  you  cannot  trust  him  thus 
far?" 


178  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

"  O  papa,  forgive  me  !  "  she  exclaimed,  put 
ting  her  arms  about  his  neck  and  laying  her 
cheek  to  his.  "I  do  hope  I'll  never,  never 
again  hesitate  one  minute  to  obey  any  ordet- 
from  you  ;  because  I  know  you  love  me,  and 
that  you  are  very  wise  and  would  never  bid 
me  do  anything  but  what  I  ought." 

"Certainly  never  intentionally,  daughter; 
and  surely  your  father,  who  is  so  many  years 
older  than  yourself,  should  be  esteemed  by  you 
as  somewhat  wiser." 

"  O  papa,  I  know  you  are  a  great,  great  deal 
wiser  than  I,"  she  said  earnestly.  "  How  ridic 
ulous  it  seems  to  think  of  anybody  comparing 
my  •wisdom  with  yours  !  I  know  I'm  only  a 
silly  little  girl,  and  not  a  good  one  either,  and 
it  wotdd  be  a  sad  thing  to  have  a  father  no 
wiser  or  better  than  myself." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  morning  of  that  critical  day  found 
Grandma  Elsie  as  calm  and  cheerful  as  she 
had  been  the  previous  evening,  though  every 
other  face  among  the  older  members  of  the 
family  "showed  agitation  and  anxiety.  Her 
daughters,  Elsie  and  Violet,  were  with  her  al 
most  constantly  during  the  early  hours,  doing 
everything  in  their  power  to  show  their  devoted 
affection  and  make  all  things  ready  for  the  sur 
geons  and  their  assistants ;  her  father  and  his 
wife  also  giving  their  aid  and  loving  sympathy, 
while  Edward  and  Zoe  attended  to  necessary 
arrangements  elsewhere,  occasionally  snatching 
a  moment  to  stand  beside  the  dear  sufferer  and 
speak  words  of  love  and  hope. 

Rosie  and  Walter  were  allowed  one  short 
interview  in  which  they  were  clasped  in  her 
arms  and  a  few  loving,  tender  words  spoken 
that  both  she  and  they  felt  might  be  the  last, 

Captain  Raymond  came  a  little  earlier  than 
the  doctor.  Lester  was  already  there,  and  each 
young  wife  found  the  presence  of  her  husbar/d 
a  comfort  and  support  wrhile,  in  an  adjoining 
room,  they  waited  in  almost  agonizing  suspense 

179 


180  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

to  hear  that  the  operation  was  over  and  what 
was  the  result. 

They  were  a  silent  group,  every  heart  going 
up  in  strong  crying  to  God,  that,  if  consistent 
with  his  holy  will,  the  dear  mother  might  be 
spared  to  them. 

And  the  united  petition  was  granted  ;  Mrs. 
Dinsmore  presently  came  to  them,  her  face 
radiant  with  joy  and  hope.  "  It  is  over,"  she 
said  ;  "  successfully  over,  and  the  doctors  say 
that  with  the  good  nursing  she  is  sure  to  have 
she  will  soon  be  restored  to  perfect  health." 

The  communication  was  received  with  tears 
of  joy  and  thankfulness. 

"  It  will  be  strange  indeed  if  she  lacks  any 
thing  the  most  devoted  nurses  can  do  for  her," 
remarked  Mr.  Leland. 

"  I  should  think  so,  with  three  daughters,  two 
sons,  and  as  many  sons-in-law,  to  say  nothing  of 
father  and  mother,"  remarked  Violet,  with  a 
tearful  smile.  "  Levis,  you  will  spare  me  to  her 
as  long  as  I  am  needed  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  my  love,"  he  replied,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation  ;  "there  is  nothing  we 
could  refuse,  or  grudge  to  our  beloved  mother 
at  this,  or  indeed  at  any  time." 

"  O  grandma,  may  we  go  to  her  now  ?  "  queried 
p,ose  and  Walter  in  a  breath. 

"  I  think  not  yet,  dears  ;  she  must  be  kept 
very,  very  quiet,"  was  the  gently  spoken  reply. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  181 

**I  know  it  would  be  a  joy  to  both  you  and 
her  to  meet  and  exchange  a  few  words,  but 
it  might  be  a  risk  for  her  ;  and  I  know  you 
would  far  rather  deny  yourselves  the  gratifica 
tion  than  do  anything  to  increase  her  suffering ; 
to  say  nothing  of  endangering  her  precious 
life." 

"  O  grandma,  neither  of  us  would  be  willing 
to  do  that  for  the  wealth  of  the  world  ! "  ex 
claimed  Rosie,  with  starting  tears. 

"  No,  -indeed  !  "  cried  Walter.  "  It  is  very 
hard  to  refrain,  but  we  would  not  injure  our 
mother  for  the  world  ;  our  dear,  dear  mother  ! " 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  said  Grandma  Rose,  smil 
ing  kindly  upon  him.  "  And  now,  Walter,  would 
not  you  and  Rosie  like  to  go  over  to  Fairview 
and  carry  the  good  news  to  Eva  and  Gracie  ? 
They  are  there  with  the  little  ones,  and  I  know 
would  be  very  glad  to  hear  that  your  dear 
mother  is  over  the  worst  of  her  trial." 

"  I  am  going  over  there  for  Gracie,  Elsie,  and 
Ned,  to  take  them  home  to  "Woodburn  for  a 
while,"  said  Captain  Raymond,  "  and  if  you  two 
would  like  it,  will  take  you  both  with  me,  leave 
you  there,  bring  you  back  here,  or  carry  you  on 
to  Woodburn,  as  you  may  prefer." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Rosie.  "  I  will  be 
pleased  to  go  as  far  as  Fairview  with  you,  but 
not  on  to  Woodbui'n  at  this  time  :  because  I  do 
not  feel  at  all  sure  *?»3t  mamma  may  not  be  take* 


182  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

worse.  So  I  shall  not  stay  long  away  from 
home." 

Walter's  reply  was  to  the  same  effect,  and  as 
the  captain's  carriage  and  horses  were  already 
at  the  door,  the  three  were  presently  on  their 
way  to  Fairview. 

Grace  and  Evelyn  were  rejoiced  to  see  them, 
and  having  been  in  great  anxiety  about  their 
dear  "  Grandma  Elsie,"  felt  much  relieved  by 
the  news  of  her  which  they  brought. 

The  captain  was  in  some  haste  to  return  to 
Woodburn,  and  Rosie  and  Walter,  finding  they 
wanted  to  stay  a  while  with  Evelyn  and  their 
sister  Elsie's  children,  decided  to  walk  back  to 
Ion  ;  the  distance  being  none  two  great  for 
cither  their  strength  or  enjoyment. 

Home  and  Sister  Lu  held  strong  attractions 
for  Grace,  Elsie,  and  Ned,  and  they  were  full  of 
delight  as  papa  lifted  them  into  the  carriage 
and  took  his  seat  beside  them. 

"  Et  Ned  sit  on  oo  knee,  papa,"  pleaded  the 
baby,  and  was  at  once  lifted  to  the  desired  place. 

"  Papa's  dear  baby  boy,"  the  captain  said, 
smoothing  his  curls  and  smiling  down  into  the 
pretty  blue  eyes.  "  How  glad  Sister  Lulu  will 
be  to  see  you  and  Elsie,  and  Gracie  !  " 

"  And  we'll  be  just  as  glad  to  see  her,  papa,'* 
said  Grace.  "I  know  it's  not  very  long  since  we 
came  away  from  our  own  dear  home  and  Lu, 
but  it  does  seem  a  long  time." 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  183 

"  Isn't  Lu  tired  doing  without  us,  papa  ?  "* 
nsked  Elsie. 

"  I  think  she  is,"  he  replied  ;  "  at  all  events  I 
know  she  will  be  very  glad  to  see  you.  It  is 
nearly  dinner-time  now,"  he  added,  looking  at 
his  watch,  "  so  we  will  go  directly  home.  But 
this  afternoon  I  will  take  you  all  for  a  nice, 
long  drive,  then  leave  you  little  ones  at  Ion  and 
take  Lulu  home  again." 

Lulu  had  been  busy  all  the  morning  attending 
to  her  studies,  her  practice  on  the  piano,  the 
demands  of  the  dressmaker,  and  taking  her 
usual  exercise  about  the  grounds.  She  was  out 
in  them  now,  watching  for  the  coming  of  her 
father,  eager  to  see  him  and  to  hear  how  it  was 
with  dear  Grandma  Elsie. 

Presently  she  heard  the  sound  of  carriage* 
wheels  on  the  road,  then  in  another  minute  the 
vehicle  turned  in  at  the  great  gates  and  came 
rapidly  up  the  drive,  little  Elsie  calling  out  from 
it,  "  Lu,  Lu,  we've  come  !  " 

"  Have  you,  Elsie  ?  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  1 "  she 
called  in  reply. 

The  carriage  had  stopped,  Lulu  bounded  to- 
ward  it,  and  her  father,  throwing  open  the  door, 
helped  her  in.  Hugs  and  kisses  and  laughter 
followed  ;  so  glad  were  the  happy  children  to 
meet  again  after  even  so  short  a  separation. 

In  another  minute  the  carriage  drew  up  before 
die  entrance  to  the  mansion,  and  the  captain  and 


184  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

his  joyous  little  troop  alighted.  Dinner  waa 
ready  to  be  served,  and  as  soon  as  hats  and  other 
outer  garments  had  been  disposed  of  the  merry 
little  party  gathered  about  the  table.  Mamma 
was  missed  but  it  was  very  pleasant  to  all  to 
find  themselves  there  with  their  fond  father  and 
each  other.  Lulu's  fears  for  dear  Grandma 
Elsie  had  been  much  relieved  by  the  report  of 
the  success  of  the  surgeons,  so  that  she  was 
light-hearted  and  gay  as  well  as  the  younger 
ones. 

Immediately  after  dinner,  while  the  little 
ones  took  their  accustomed  afternoon  nap,  she 
recited  her  lessons,  doing  so  in  a  manner  that 
drew  hearty  commendation  from  her  father,  who 
was  always  glad  to  be  able  to  bestow  it ;  then, 
knowing  it  would  be  a  joy  to  her  to  do  them,  he 
called  upon  her  for  some  of  the  little  services 
she  was  accustomed  to  render  him. 

These  attended  to,  "  Now,  daughter,"  he  said, 
"  you  may  dress  yourself  nicely  for  a  drive.  I 
am  going  to  take  you  and  your  little  brother 
and  sisters  for  a  pretty  long  one.  Then  I  will 
drop  them  at  Ion,  and  you  and  I,  after  a  call  of 
a  few  minutes  to  hear  how  Grandma  Elsie  is, 
will  drive  home  together." 

"  Oh,  how  pleasant  that  will  be,  papa  !  How 
good  you  always  are  to  every  one  of  us  chil 
dren  !  "  she  exclaimed,  giving  him  an  ardent 
kiss,  then  running  away  to  do  his  bidding. 


ELSIE'S   VACATION,  185 

A  merry,  happy  time  the  children  had,  and  on 
reaching  Ion  the  little  ones  were  ready  for  their 
supper  and  bed.  The  older  ones  were  full  of 
joy  on  learning  that  their  loved  Grandma  Elsie 
was  as  comfortable  and  doing  as  well  as  possible 
under  the  circumstances.  The  captain  and  Lulu 
spent  a  quiet  half-hour  with  the  Ion  family  and 
\7iolet,  then  departed  for  Woodburn. 

As  the  carriage  started,  the  captain  put  an 
arm  round  Lulu,  drew  her  close  to  him,  and 
smiling  affectionately  down  into  her  face,  said  : 
"  How  glad  I  am  to  be  able  to  keep  one  of  my 
loved  flock  with  me  !  n 

"  And  oh,  how  glad  I  am  that  I'm  the  one, 
you  dear,  dear  papa  !  "  responded  the  little  girl, 
returning  his  loving  look  and  smile.  Then, 
with  a  sigh, "  I  think  there  are  some  fathers  who 
wouldn't  be  very  fond  of  even  their  own  child, 
if  she  were  so  often  ill-tempered  and  disobedient. 
Papa,  I've  been  thinking  all  day  that  you  didn't 
punish  me  half  so  severely  as  I  deserved  for  my 
naughtiness  yesterday." 

"I  would  rather  err  on  that  side  than  the 
other,  daughter,"  he  said,  in  tender  tones,  "  and 
I  hope  your  future  behavior  will  be  such  as  to 
prove  that  the  slight  punishment  inflicted  was 
all-sufficient." 

"  I  hope  so,  indeed,  papa,"  she  answered 
earnestly,  "  but  if  I  am  disobedient  and  ill- 
tempered  again  soon,  you  will  be  more  severe 


186  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

with  me,  won't  you  ?  I  really  want  you  to,  that 
I  may  improve." 

"  Yes,  daughter,  I  think  I  must,"  he  replied  a 
little  sadly  ;  then  after  a  moment's  silence  went 
on  again  :  "  I  expect  to  pay  a  little  visit  to  Max 
in  January,  and  if  my  eldest  daughter  has  been 

a  good  and  obedient  child "  He  paused, 

looking  smilingly  at  her. 

"  You  will  take  me  with  you,  papa  ? "  she 
cried  half -breathlessly.  "  Oh,  how  I  should  like 
it !  Ah,  I  do  hope  I  shall  not  be  so  bad  that  you 
will  have  to  leave  me  behind." 

"  No,  I  hope  not.  I  want  to  take  you  ;  to 
share  the  pleasure  of  my  dear  eldest  daughter 
•will  double  it  to  me,  and  if  neither  bad  conduct 
on  your  part,  nor  anything  else  happens  to  pre- 
Tent,  you  shall  go  with  me." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  dear  papa !  "  she  exclaimed, 
her  cheeks  glowing  and  her  eyes  sparkling  with 
delight,  "  you  are  so  good  to  me  that  I  just  hate 
myself  for  ever  doing  anything  to  vex  or  grieve 
you." 

"  My  dear  child,"  he  said  with  emotion,  "  be 
more  watchful,  careful,  and  prayerful ;  fight 
more  earnestly  and  determinately  the  good  fight 
of  faith,  ever  looking  to  God  for  help,  for  only  so 
may  you  hope  to  gain  the  victory  at  last,  and  to 
be  able  to  say,  '  in  all  these  things  we  are  more 
than  conquerors  through  him  that  loved  us.'" 

'*  I  will  try,  papa,"  she  said,  tears  starting  to 


ELSIE'S  VACAffOy.  1ST 

her  eyes,  "  but  ob,  it  is  such  a  hard  fight  for  any 
body  with  a  temper  like  mine.  Please  help  ma 
all  you  can  by  praying  for  me,  and  punishing 
me  too,  whenever  you  see  that  I  need  it." 

"  I  will  do  all  I  can  for  you,  my  darling,  in 
every  way,"  he  replied,  "  but  as  I  have  ofteo 
told  you,  the  hardest  part  of  the  conflict  must 
inevitably  be  your  own. 

"  Cling  close  to  Jesus,  and  cry  to  him  every  day 
and  every  hour  for  help,  for  only  by  his  all- 
powerful  assistance  can  we  hope  to  win  holiness 
and  heaven  at  last." 

"I  will  try,  papa,  I  will  indeed,"  she  said. 
**  I  am,  oh,  so  glad  and  thankful  that  he  will  let 
me  cling  to  him  and  that  he  promises  his  help  to 
those  who  ask  him  for  it." 

"  Yes,  he  says, '  In  me  is  thine  help,'  and  hav« 
ing  his  help  what  can  harm  us  ?  since  he  is  the 
Lord  who  made  heaven  and  earth." 

Again  a  few  moments  of  silence  ;  then  Lulu 
said,  "  Papa,  you  have  often  told  me  I  inherit 
my  temper  from  you,  and  though  I  could  never 
believe  it  if  anybody  else  had  told  me,  I  have  to 
believe  you  because  I  know  you  always  speak 
the  truth  ;  but  how  did  you  ever  conquer  it  so 
completely  ?  " 

"  By  determined  effort,  at  the  same  time  look« 
ing  to  God  for  help,"  he  replied ;  "  and  only  by 
the  same  means  can  I  even  now  keep  it  under 
control." 


188  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  And  you  think  I  can  learn  to  control  mine  if 
I  use  the  same  means  ?" 

"  I  do  ;  God,  our  kind  heavenly  Father,  is  as 
able  and  as  willing  to  help  you  as  me." 

"  Yes,"  she  said  thoughtfully,  M  and  if  I  don't 
choose  to  try  hard  enough,  at  the  same  time 
praying  earnestly  for  help,  I  deserve  to  be 
punished  by  my  earthly  father  ;  and  I  do  really 
hope  he  always  will  punish  me  till  he  has  taught 
me  to  be  as  patient  and  self-controlled  as  he  is," 
she  added,  nestling  closer  to  him  and  slipping  a 
hand  into  his.  "  Papa,  I  often  wonder  why  I 
wasn't  made  as  patient  and  sweet-tempered  as 
Gracie.  She  doesn't  seem  to  have  any  temper 
at  all  to  fight." 

"  No  ;  but  she  has  her  own  peculiar  tempta 
tions,  of  some  of  which  your  firmer,  braver 
nature  knows  nothing  ;  and  each  must  battle 
with  her  own  faults  and  failings,  looking  to 
God  for  help  in  the  hard  struggle.  To  God, 
who,  the  Bible  tells  us,  *  will  not  suffer  you  to 
be  tempted  above  that  ye  are  able  ;  but  will 
with  the  temptation  also  make  a  way  to  escape 
that  ye  may  be  able  to  bear  it.' " 

"  It  is  a  precious  promise,  papa,"  she  said, 
with  thoughtful  look  and  tone,  "  and  I  am  glad 
you  reminded  me  of  it.  It  makes  me  feel  less 
discouraged  about  trying  to  conquer  my  beset 
ting  sins." 

"In  the  first  chapter  of  Joshua,"  replied  her 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  189 

father,  "the  Lord  says  to  him  three  times,  'Be 
strong  and  of  a  good  courage,'  the  last  time 
adding,  'be  not  afraid,  neither  be  thou  dis 
mayed  ;  for  the  Lord  thy  God  is  with  thee 
whithersoever  thou  goest.'  And  that  blessed 
assurance  of  the  constant,  sustaining  presence 
of  our  God,  each  one  of  his  children  may  take 
to  him  or  herself." 

"  What  a  comfort,  papa  ! "  she  exclaimed. 
*'  Oh,  the  Bible  is  such  a  blessing !  I  do  feel 
sorry  for  all  the  people  who  have  none." 

"Yes,"  he  responded,  "they  are  greatly  to 
be  pitied,  and  those  who  have  dared  to  take  it 
from  others  will  have  much  to  answer  for  iu 
the  day  of  judgment ;  as  will  those  also  who, 
having  it  themselves,  make  no  effort  to  supply 
it  to  such  as  have  it  not. 

"  Ah,  here  we  are  at  our  own  home ! "  he 
added,  as  the  carriage  drew  up  before  the  entrance. 

"  And  such  a  sweet  home  as  it  is ! "  she  re. 
sponded,  as  he  threw  open  the  door,  sprang  out, 
and  took  her  in  his  arms. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  so  I  think,  and  am  glad  my 
little  girl  appreciates  it.  There,"  setting  her  on 
her  feet,  "  run  in,  daughter,  and  make  yourself 
ready  for  the  tea-table." 

She  obeyed  and  presently  they  two  were 
seated  cozily  at  a  little  round  table  in  the  family 
breakfast-room,  greatly  enjoying  their  tea, 
broiled  chicken,  and  waffles. 


390  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

"Papa,"  remarked  Lulu,  as  she  poured  ou4 
his  second  cup,  "  I'm  sorry  for  you  that  you 
lave  only  me  for  company,  but  I  do  enjoy  be 
ing — once  in  a  while — all  the  family  you  have 
at  home." 

"  Do  you  ?  "  he  returned,  with  a  good-humored 
little  laugh.  "  Well,  I  am  glad  to  have  you  con 
tented  and  happy  ;  and  I  can't  deny  that  I 
should  feel  very  lonely  here  to-night  without 
the  pleasant  companionship  of  my  dear  eldest, 
daughter.  What  do  you  want  to  do  this  evening? 
how  shall  we  spend  our  time  alone  together  ? 

"  I  have  my  lessons  to  learn,  you  know, 
papa." 

"Ah,  yes  ;  and  I  must  write  some  letters 
And  after  that  perhaps  you  may  find  a  bit  of 
sewing  to  do,  while  your  father  reads  aloud 
something  that  will  be  both  interesting  and  in 
structive  to  his  dear  little  girl." 

"Yes,  sir ;  I  have  some  work  on  hand  for  our 
Dorcas   Society,  and   though  I   rather  dislike 
sewing,  I  shall  not  mind  doing  it  while  listen 
ing   to  your  reading,"  she   answered,  smiling 
"brightly  up  into  his  face. 

"Ah  !  then  that  is  what  we  will  do,"  he  said, 
returning  her  smile. 

"  Well,  daughter,  has  it  been  a  pleasant  even« 
ing  to  you  ?  "  he  asked,  when  the  time  had  come 
for  the  good-nights  to  be  said. 

"Indeed  it  has,  papa,"  ehe  replied,  giving 


ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

him  an  ardent  hng.  "  Oh,  I  am  so  gls,d 
didn't  let  me  go  to  Ion  with  the  others,  but  kept 
me  at  home  with  you.  I  do  hope  that  I'll  re- 
mem^er  after  this  that  you  always  know  and 
do  ;he  very  best  thing  for  me,  and  that  I'll 
never,  never  grow  ill-tempered  and  rebellious, 
as  I  was  yesterday." 

"  You  think  you  can  trust  your  father  after 
this,  even  without  being  told  his  reasons  for  all 
be  does  and  requires  ?  " 

"  I  hope  so,  papa,  and  indeed,  indeed  I'm  very 
much  ashamed  of  my  rebellious  feelings  and 
don't  intend  to  indulge  in  them  any  more  ! " 
she  added,  with  a  remorseful  look  up  into  his 
face. 

"Try  to  keep  that  resolution,  dear  child,"  he 
said.  "  Now  good-night  and  pleasant  dreams. 
May  he  who  neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps  have 
you  in  his  kind  care  and  keeping.  But  if  you 
want  your  earthly  father,  you  have  only  to  call 
out  or  run  to  him.'1 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

LULUTS  first  thought  on  awaking  the  next 
morning  was  of  dear  Grandma  Elsie.  "  I 
wonder,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  if  papa  has  not 
been  asking  news  of  her  through  the  telephone  ; 
oh,  I  hope  she  is  getting  well ! " 

Hurrying  through  the  duties  of  the  toilet,  she 
was  ready  to  run  to  meet  her  father  when  pres 
ently  she  heard  his  steps  in  the  hall  without. 

"  Good-morning,  papa,"  she  cried.  "  Oh,  have 
you  heard  from  Ion  how  Grandma  Elsie 
passed  the  night  ?  " 

"Yes,"  he  said,  bending  down  to  give  her  a 
good-morning  kiss,  "  she  passed  a  very  comfort 
able  night ;  is  thought  to  be  doing  as  well  as 
possible.  Mamma  Yi  and  our  little  ones  are  all 
right  also  ;  I  have  just  had  a  talk  with  your 
mamma  through  the  telephone." 

"  Oh,  I  am  glad  !  How  nice  it  is  that  we  can 
talk  in  that  way  to  the  folks  at  IOH  and  the 
other  places  where  Mamma  Ti's  relations 
live  ! " 

"  Yes  ;  a  telephone  is  really  a  blessing  under 
such  circumstances.  I  am  much  more  reconciled 
to  being  at  some  short  clistance  from  my  wife 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  193 

and  little  ones  than  I  could  be  if  without  such 
means  of  coramuncaition." 

They  went  down  to  the  library  together  and 
seating  himself  he  drew  her  to  his  knee,  saying 
pleasantly,  "  You  are  the  youngest  child  at  home 
with  me,  and  I  think  I  must  have  you  here.  I 
nope  you  will  never  think  yourself  too  old  to 
sometimes  sit  on  your  father's  knee." 

"  No,  papa,  I'm  sure  I  never  shall  while  you 
are  willing  to  let  me,"  she  replied,  putting  an 
arm  round  his  neck  and  gazing  lovingly  into  his 
eyes. 

They  chatted  for  a  few  minutes,  then  the 
breakfast  bell  rang,  and  presently  they  were 
again  seated  at  the  little  round  table  from  which 
they  had  eaten  last  night's  supper,  Lulu  pouring 
the  coffee  with  a  very  grown-up  air,  while  her 
father  filled  her  plate  and  his  own  with  the 
tempting  viands. 

"  What  a  lovely,  delightful  home  we  have, 
papa !  "  she  remarked,  as  she  handed  him  his 
cup.  "  I  do  really  think  that  with  such  a  father 
and  such  a  home  I  ought  to  be  the  best  girl  in 
the  world  ;  and  I  do  mean  to  try  to  be." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  do,  daughter,  and  I 
have  seldom  had  occasion  to  find  serious  fault 
with  you  in  the  last  year  or  more,  so  that  I  am 
by  no  means  in  despair  of  seeing  you  gain  con 
trol  of  that  troublesome  temper  which  has 
caused  so  m«eh  unhappiness  to  both  you  and  me.* 


194  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  Oh,  thank  you  for  saying  it,  papa ! "  she 
returned,  with  a  bright  and  joyous  smile.  "  I'm 
determined  to  try  my  very  best  to  be  as  good  as 
possible,  both  to  please  you  and  to  earn  that 
visit  to  Annapolis  that  you  spoke  of  last  night. 
I  think  it  will  be  very  delightful ;  and  how 
pleased  Max  will  be  to  see  us  ;  especially  you." 

"  I  think  he  will.  Ah,  here  comes  the  mail- 
bag  !"  as  a  servant  entered  with  it. 

"  Oh,  I  hope  there's  a  letter  from  Max,"  Lulu 
said,  as  her  father  opened  the  bag  and  took  out 
the  contents — papers,  magazines,  and  letters. 

"  Yes,  here  is  one  from  our  dear  boy,"  he  said, 
singling  out  a  letter  and  hastily  tearing  it  open. 

He  read  it  first  to  himself,  then  aloud  to  her — 
a  bright,  cheery,  boyish,  affectionate  epistle  such 
as  they  were  accustomed  to  receive  from  Max's 
pen. 

They  talked  it  over  together  while  they 
finished  their  breakfast,  then  returned  to  the 
library  where,  as  usual,  Christine,  Alma,  and  the 
servants  being  called  in,  the  captain  led  the 
family  devotions,  reading  a  portion  of  the  Scrip 
ture  and  engaging  in  prayer. 

"  Are  you  going  immediately  to  Ion,  papa  ?  " 
asked  Lulu,  when  again  they  were  alone  to 
gether. 

"  No,"  he  replied  ;  "  I  have  some  matters  to 
attend  to  here  while  you  are  preparing  you* 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  195 

lessons.  After  hearing  them,  if  your  recitations 
and  conduct  have  heen  satisfactory,  I  intend 
taking  you  with  me  to  the  village,  where  I  have 
to  make  some  business  arrangements  ;  then  we 
will  drive  to  Ion,  spend  a  little  time  there,  then 
come  home,  probably  bringing  your  little  sisters 
and  brother  with  us  as  we  did  the  other  day, 
returning  them  as  before  to  your  Mamma  Vi, 
just  in  time  for  supper  and  bed,  and  coming 
home  alone  together." 

"  Oh,'  I  like  that,  papa  ! "  she  exclaimed,  "  and 
is  it  what  you  intend  doing  every  day  ?  " 

"  Every  day  while  your  Grandma  Elsie  is  so 
ill  that  the  noise  might  disturb  her  ;  unless  the 
weather  should  be  quite  too  inclement,  I  think 
it  will  be  a  relief  to  your  Mamma  Vi  to  have 
them  here  a  good  deal  of  the  time,  till  her 
mother  is  better. 

"  I  suppose  so,  papa ;  and  at  the  same  time 
very  pleasant  for  us — they  are  such  darlings  ! " 

"  So  you  and  I  think,"  he  said,  with  a  smile. 
"  Now  go  to  your  lessons,  daughter." 

At  Ion  Grandma  Elsie  lay  quietly  sleeping, 
her  three  daughters  watching  over  her  with 
tenderest  care  and  solicitude.  Scarce  a  sound 
was  to  be  heard,  either  within  doors  or  without, 
save  the  distant  lowing  of  cattle,  the  twittering 
of  birds,  and  the  gentle  sighing  of  the  wind  in 
the  treetops  ;  family  and  servants  moved  with 


196  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

cautious  tread,  speaking  seldom,  and  that  with 
bated  breath,  lest  they  should  disturb  her  who 
was  so  dear  to  all  hearts. 

To  Walter  it  seemed  verj  hard  to  be  shut  out 
of  mamma's  room,  and  he  sat  on  the  veranda 
watching  for  the  coming  of  Cousin  Arthur,  to 
petition  for  admittance,  if  only  for  a  moment, 
just  to  look  at  her  and  come  away  again. 

Cousin  Arthur  had  been  with  her  through  the 
night,  had  gone  away  early  in  the  morning  and 
was  expected  back  again  soon. 

The  half  hour  spent  in  watching  and  waiting 
seemed  very  long  indeed  to  the  little  lad,  but  at 
last,  oh  joy !  there  was  Cousin  Arthur's  sulky 
turning  in  at  the  great  gates  ;  then  it  came 
swiftly  up  the  avenue,  and  Walter  rose  and 
hastened  to  meet  the  doctor  as  he  alighted. 

"  O  Cousin  Arthur  !  "  he  cried,  but  in  sub 
dued  tones,  "  they've  shut  me  out  of  mamma's 
room  and  I  just  don't  know  how  to  stand  it  any 
longer.  Mayn't  I  go  in,  if  it's  only  for  a  minute, 
to  get  one  look  at  her  dear  face  ?  I  won't  speak 
to  her  or  touch  her  if  you  say  I  must  not,  but 
oh,  I  don't  know  how  to  endure  being  kept  away 
from  her  altogether." 

The  little  fellow's  tones  were  tremulous,  and 
his  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  he  spoke. 

Dr.  Conly  felt  for  the  child,  and  laying  a  hand 
kindly  on  his  head,  said  cheerfully,  "  Don't  be 
down-hearted,  my  boy,  your  mother  will  be  well 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  197 

enough  in  a  few  days,  I  hope,  to  stand  quite  an 
interview  with  her  youngest  son,  and  perhaps  it 
may  do  for  you  to  go  in  for  a  moment  this  morn 
ing  ;  you  may  come  upstairs  with  me  and  wait 
in  the  hall  till  I  see  how  she  is.  If  I  find  her 
well  enough  to  stand  a  peep  from  her  boy,  you 
shall  go  in  for  a  minute,  provided  you  will 
promise  to  be  cheerful  and  not  to  speak  unless 
you  have  the  doctor's  permission." 

"  Oh,  I'll  promise  to  do  anything  you  bid  me, 
if  you'll  only  let  me  see  her,"  returned  Walter 
in  eager  tones,  then  followed  the  doctor  with 
noiseless  tread  through  the  hall  and  up  the 
broad  stairway. 

Reaching  his  mother's  door,  he  paused  and 
waited  outside  while  the  doctor  went  quietly  in. 

His  patient  seemed  to  be  asleep,  but  opened 
her  eyes  and  smiled  up  into  his  face  as  he  reached 
the  bedside. 

"  Dear  cousin,"  he  said,  low  and  tenderly, 
"  are  you  feeling  quite  easy  now  ?  " 

"  Quite  so,"  she  answered  in  low,  sweet  tones  ; 
"  all  is  going  right,  I  think.  Is  it  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,  so  it  would  seem.  You  are  the  best  of 
patients,  and  with  the  abundance  of  good  nurs 
ing  you  are  sure  to  have,  I  think  we  will  soon 
have  you  about  again.  But,"  glancing  around 
upon  her  three  daughters,  "  she  must  be  kept 
very  quiet,  neither  talking  nor  being  talked  to 
much  more  than  is  absolutely  necessary. 


198  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  However,  I  am  going  to  allow  Walter  a 
moment's  sight  of  his  mother,  and  as  he  is  your 
baby  boy,  you  may,  if  you  choose,  speak  half  a 
dozen  words  to  him,"  he  added,  addressing  him 
self  directly  to  the  patient. 

Then  stepping  to  the  door,  he  beckoned  to 
Walter,  and  led  him  to  the  side  of  the  bed. 

"  There,  laddie,  you  may  tell  her  how  dearly 
you  love  her,  but  nothing  more." 

"  Mamma,  dear,  darling  mamma  !  I  couldn't 
begin  to  tell  it !  "  Walter  said,  low  and  tremu- 
ously,  just  touching  his  lips  to  her  cheek. 

"  Mother's  darling  boy  !  "  was  all  she  said  in 
response,  but  the  eyes  looking  into  his  spoke 
volumes  of  mother-love. 

"Don't  cry,  Walter,  my  man,"  his  cousin 
said,  as  he  led  him  out  to  the  hall  again  ;  "  you 
have  behaved  so  well  that  I  think  you  may  be 
allowed  another  interview  to-morrow ;  and  I 
hope  you  will  see  your  mother  up  and  about 
again  in  perhaps  a  fortnight  from  this.  You 
must  pray  for  her  healing  to  the  Great  Physi- 
cian,  as  we  all  are  doing  :  and  pray  in  faith,  for 
you  know  the  Bible  tells  us  he  is  the  hearer  and 
answerer  of  prayer." 

"  Oh,  I  will !  I  do  !  "  sobbed  the  child,  "and 
I'm  so  glad  there  are  so  many  others  asking  for 
her  too,  because  the  Bible  says  Jesus  promised 
that  his  Father  would  grant  what  two  or  three 
agreed  together  to  ask  for." 


ELSIE' 8  VACATION.  199 

"  Yes  ;  pray  for  your  mother,  believe  God's 
promises,  and  be  happy  in  the  expectation  that 
she  will  get  well ;  and  with  a  mind  at  rest  in 
terest  yourself  ir.  your  studies  and  sports. 
That's  my  prescription  for  you,  my  lad ;  now 
go  and  take  it  liice  a  good  boy,"  added  the  doc 
tor,  with  a  smile,  as  he  turned  and  re-entered 
the  sick-room. 

**  A  funny  prescription,  and  net  so  bad  to  take," 
laughed  Walter  to  himself,  as  he  wiped  away  his 
tears  and  hastened  to  the  schoolroom  to  attend 
to  his  lessons. 

"  Nobody  here  but  myself,"  lie  sighed,  as  he 
crossed  the  threshold.  "It's  rather  lonesome, 
t>at  I'll  do  the  best  I  can.  It's  what  mamma 
v?<mld  advise." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

GRACE  had  gone  over  to  Fairview  with  her 
little  brother  and  sister,  accompanied  by  their 
nurse,  Mamma  Vi  having  told  her  she  might 
learn  her  lessons  there,  and  if  Evelyn  cared 
to  hear  her  recite,  that  would  answer  very 
well. 

Evelyn  was  entirely  willing,  and  they  had 
just  finished  a  few  minutes  before  the  carriage 
from  Woodburn  came  driving  up  the  avenue, 
bringing  Grace's  father  and  sister  Lulu. 

They  had  already  paid  a  call  at  Ion,  and  now 
had  come  to  make  a  short  one  at  Fairview,  and 
pick  up  Gracie,  little  Elsie,  and  Ned. 

"  Papa,  papa  !  "  shouted  the  two  little  ones, 
running  to  meet  him  as  he  came  up  the  steps 
into  the  veranda,  and  holding  up  their  faces  for 
a  kiss. 

"  Papa's  darlings  !  "  he  responded,  taking 
them  in  his  arms  to  caress  and  fondle  them, 
then  letting  them  go  to  give  Gracie  her  turn. 

"  Is  my  feeble  little  girl  quite  well  this  morn 
ing  ?  "  he  asked,  in  tender  tones. 

"  Yes,  papa,  thank  you,"  she  replied,  giving 
him  a  vigorous  hug, "  and  oh,  so  glad  to  see  you  1 
200 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  201 

Have  you  come  to  take  us — Elsie  and  Ned  and 
me — home  for  a  while  again  ?'v 

"  I  have,"  he  said,  returning  her  hug.  "  I  can't 
have  your  mamma  at  present,  as  her  mother 
needs  her,  but  my  dear  babies  I  need  not  do 
without." 

"  Am  I  one  of  them,  papa  ?  "  asked  Gracie, 
with  a  smile.  "  I'm  almost  eleven  ;  but  I  don't 
mind  being  one  of  your  babies,  if  you  like  to 
call  me  that."  His  only  reply  was  a  smile  and 
a  loving  pat  on  her  cheek,  for  the  two  little  ones 
were  tugging  at  his  coat  and  coaxing  for  a 
drive. 

"  Why,  Elsie  and  Ned,  you  haven't  kissed  me 
yet,"  said  LiMu.  "  Gracie  and  Eva  did  while  you 
were  exchanging  hugs  and  kisses  with  papa,  and 
I  think  it's  my  turn  now." 

"  So  it  is  !  I  love  you,  Lu,"  cried  Elsie,  leaving 
her  father  for  a  moment  to  throw  her  arms 
round  Lulu's  neck  in  a  hearty  and  loving  em 
brace  ;  Ned  quickly  followed  suit,  then  running 
to  his  father  again,  renewed  his  request  for  a 
drive  in  the  carriage. 

"  Yes,  my  son,  you  shall  have  it  presently," 
said  the  captain  ;  then  he  proposed  to  Evelyn 
that  she  and  her  two  little  cousins  should  join 
the  party  for  a  short  drive  in  another  direction, 
before  he  'tould  take  his  own  children  home  to 
Woodburn. 

His  invitation  was  joyfully  accepted  and  in  a 


202  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

few  minutes  they  had  all  crowded  into  the  cap 
tain's  carriage  and  were  driving  down  the 
avenue. 

The  little  ones  were  very  merry,  and  the  cap 
tain  did  not  check  their  mirth.  He  was,  in  fact, 
in  very  good  spirits  himself,  because  thus  far 
Grandma  Elsie's  cure  had  progressed  so  favora 
bly.  It  continued  to  do  so  from  that  time  till 
in  two  weeks  she  was  able  to  be  up  and  about  a 
part  of  eveiy  day,  and  Violet  returned  to  Wood- 
burn,  though  daily,  when  the  weather  permitted, 
she  drove  over  to  Ion  and  spent  an  hour  or  more 
with  her  mother. 

Quite  frequently  the  captain  drove  her  over 
himself,  and  leaving  her  there,  went  on  into  the 
village  to  attend  to  some  business  matter,  call 
ing  for  her  on  his  return. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  going  into  the 
parlor  he  found  there  his  wife,  her  mother, 
eldest  sister  and  grandparents  in  earnest  conver 
sation  with  the  doctor. 

When  the  customary  greetings  had  been  ex 
changed,  Grandma  Elsie  said  to  him,  with  a 
smile,  "  Captain,  these  good  people  seem  to  have 
leagued  together  to  send,  or  to  take  me,  to 
Viamede  to  spend  the  winter,  Cousin  Arthur 
having  given  it  as  his  opinion  that  a  warmer 
climate  than  this  would  probably  be  of  benefit 
just  at  this  time." 

"In   which  I  presume    he    is    quite    right, 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  203 

Bother,"  returned  the  captain.  "And  surely 
there  is  no  difficulty  in  the  way  ?  " 

"  Nothing  insurmountable,"  she  replied. 

"  But  we  want  some  one  to  go  on  in  advance 
and  see  that  everything  is  in  order  for  mamma's 
comfort,"  said  Violet,  giving  her  husband  a  look 
that  was  half  entreating,  half  one  of  confident 
assurance  that  he  would  deny  nothing  to  her  or 
her  loved  mother  which  it  was  at  all  in  hi3 
power  to  bestow. 

"  That,  I  think,  would  certainly  be  the  better 
plan,"  he  returned  pleasantly,  "and  if  no  one 
more  competent  than  myself  is  to  be  had  and  it 
suits  my  wife  to  accompany  me,  my  services 
may  be  considered  as  offered." 

Hearty  thanks  were  at  once  bestowed  upon 
him  by  all  present. 

But  he  disclaimed  all  title  to  them,  saying,  "  I 
now  have  everything  in  order  at  Woodburn,  so 
that  I  may  feel  quite  easy  in  leaving  it  for  even 
a  protracted  stay;  and  to  get  a  view  of  Viamede 
•will  be  a  new  and  doubtless  very  pleasant  expe 
rience  to  me,  with  wife  and  little  ones  along  ;  my 
daughters  can  go  on  with  their  studies  under  my 
tuition,  there  as  well  as  at  home,  and  my 
intended  visit  to  Max  can  be  paid  before  starting 
for  the  far  South.  I  only  fear,"  he  added,  with 
a  pleasant  glance  at  Mrs.  Lelaand,  "  that  I  may 
be  offering  to  take  upon  myself  a  duty  which  ia 
much  to  the  taste  of  one  of  my  brothers-in-law 


804  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

and  might  be  better  performed  by  one  or  beth 
of  them. 

"No,  captain,"  replied  Mrs.  Leland,  "you 
need  have  no  such  fear,  as  neither  of  them  is  just 
BOW  in  a  position  to  leave  home,  unless  it  were 
quite  necessary  for  dear  mamma's  comfort." 

"  Then  we  will  consider  it  settled  that  Violet 
and  I  are  to  go,"  said  the  captain,  turning  to  her 
with  his  pleasant  smile.  "  How  soon  can  you  be 
ready,  my  dear  ?  " 

"By  the  first  of  next  Aveek  if  my  husband 
wishes  to  start  by  that  time,"  returned  Violet 
gayly.  "  Oh,  I  am  quite  delighted  at  the  pros 
pect  of  seeing  again  that  one  of  our  sweet 
homes,  and  especially  of  doing  so  in  company 
with  you,  Levis." 

The  captain  considered  a  moment.  "  I  would 
not  like  to  disappoint  Max,"  he  said.  "  I  think 
I  must  visit  him  next  Saturday — as  I  shall  not 
probably  be  able  to  see  him  again  before  next 
spring.  But  I  will  make  necessary  arrange 
ments  beforehand  and  I  think  we  may  leave  for 
the  South  by  Wednesday  morning  of  next  week, 
if  that  will  suit  you,  my  dear  ?  " 

"Entirely,"  she  said;  "it  will  give  me  just 
about  time  enough  to  get  everything  ready 
without  hurry  or  confusion." 

So  it  was  settled,  everybody  seeming  weU 
satisfied  with  the  arrangement. 

A.   little  more  time  was  spent  in  discussing 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  20S 

plans,  then  the  captain  and  Violet  bade  good-by 
and  set  out  on  their  return  home. 

"  You  are  well  pleased  with  the  prospect  of 
this  visit  to  Viamede,  Violet,  my  dear?"  the 
captain  said,  as  they  drove  rapidly  along  the 
familiar  road. 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed,"  she  answered  brightly ; 
"  Viamede  is  so  lovely,  a  sort  of  earthly 
pai'adise  I  have  always  thought,  and  I  am 
really  delighted  at  the  thought  of  showing 
it  to  you.  Ah,  I  am  quite  sure,  having  your 
dear  society  there,  I  shall  enjoy  it  more  than 
ever!  " 

"Thank  you,  dearest,"  was  his  smiling  re« 
sponse.  "  I  am  certainly  pleased  with  the  pros 
pect  of  seeing  that  earthly  paradise,  particularly 
with  you  to  share  my  enjoyment.  And  how 
pleased  Lulu  and  Gracie  will  be,  for  I  have  often 
heard  them  speak  of  Viamede  as  even  lovelier 
than  Woodburn,  which  they  evidently  esteem  a 
very  delightful  and  lovely  home." 

"  As  it  assuredly  is,  my  dear,"  was  Violet's 
smiling  rejoinder.  "  I  could  not  ask  a  lovelier, 
happier  home  than  that  which  my  husband — the 
very  best  and  dearest  of  husbands — has  provided 
for  me.  Oh,  I  often  ask  myself,  '  Is  there  any 
body  else  in  all  the  wide  world  who  has  so  much 
to  be  thankful  for  as  I?'  " 

"Ah,  that  fortunate  mortal  is  surely  he  who 
sits  by  your  side  at  this  moment,  my  darling," 


206  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

lie  answered  in  moved  tones,  taking  her  hand  in 
his  and  pressing  it  affectionately. 

But  the  carriage  was  turning  in  at  the  Wood- 
burn  gates  and  presently  the  glad  shout  of  little 
voices  was  borne  to  their  ears  on  the  evening 
breeze.  "  There  it  is  !  Papa  and  mamma  have 
come  home  ! " 

A  joyously  tumultuous  greeting  followed,  the 
little  flock  gathering  about  them  as  they  alighted, 
talking,  laughing,  dancing  around  them,  claim 
ing  their  attention  and  their  caresses. 

Elsie  and  Ned  pleaded  for  a  ride,  and  Grace 
and  Lulu  seemed  not  averse  to  sharing  it.  So 
there  was  a  hasty  bundling  up  in  capes  and 
hoods,  cloaks  and  shawls,  papa  piled  them  in, 
followed  them,  taking  Ned  on  his  knee,  and 
away  they  went  for  a  mile  or  more  down  the  road, 
then  back  again,  and  were  presently  taking 
off  their  outdoor  garments  in  the  hall,  mamma 
helping  the  little  ones. 

Then  all  gathered  about  the  tea-table  with 
appetites  that  made  everything  taste  very  good 
indeed.  Elsie  and  Ned  were  too  busy  to  talk 
much,  but  Lulu  and  Grace  were  unusually  gay 
and  mirthful,  and  their  father  indulged  them  in 
more  than  usual  chat  and  laughter  that  were 
neither  rude  nor  boisterous. 

Neither  he  nor  Violet  said  anything  of  the 
new  plans  for  the  winter  till  the  babies  had  had 
their  evening  romp  and  been  taken  away  to  bed. 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  207 

Violet,  as  usual,  went  with  them,  and  the  captain 
was  left  alone  with  Lulu  and  Grace. 

They  were  hanging  lovingly  about  him  as 
was  their  custom  on  such  occasions,  and  he  drew 
one  to  each  knee,  saying  in  low,  tender  tones, 
"  My  darlings  !  my  precious  little  daughters  ! 
How  rich  I  feel  in  the  possession  of  my  five 
dear  children  !  " 

"And  how  rich  we  feel  with  our  dear,  dear 
father !  to  say  nothing  of  our  dear,  sweet 
Mamma  Vi  and  the  two  darling  babies !  "  re 
sponded  Lulu,  putting  her  arm  about  his  neck 
and  her  lips  to  his. 

"  Yes  ;  and  our  dear  big  brother  Maxie," 
added  Grace. 

"  Yes,  I  was  just  going  to  mention  him,"  said 
Lulu.  "  I  am  both  very  fond  and  very  proud 
of  Max.  I  wouldn't  swap  him  for  any  other 
body's  brother  that  erer  I  saw  ;  no  not  even  for 
all  the  nice  brothers  that  Rosie  has." 

"  Neither  would  I,"  said  Grace,  "  though  I'm 
fond  of  them  all." 

"  Papa,  when  is  it  that  we  are  going  to  see 
Max  ?  "  queried  Lulu.  "  Some  time  in  January 
I  know  you  said,  but  will  it  be  to  spend  New 
Year's  with  him  ?  " 

"  No  ;  wouldn't  you  like  to  go  sooner  than 
that  ?  "  he  asked,  stroking  her  hair  and  looking 
down  lovingly,  smilingly  into  her  eyes. 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed,  papa  !  if  it  suits  you  to  go 


208  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

and  to  take  me,"  she  answered  eagerly.  "  It 
seems  now  a  long,  long  while  that  I  hare  been 
separated  f  rom  Max,  and  the  sooner  I  may  go 
to  see  him  the  bettei*.  But  have  you  changed 
your  plans  about  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied.  "  I  have  something  to 
tell  you  both  which  will  show  you  why,  and 
also  prove  pleasant  news  to  you,  I  think." 

Then  he  proceeded  to  tell  them  of  the  plans 
laid  that  afternoon  at  Ion,  and  which  made  it 
necessary  that,  if  he  went  to  see  Max  at  all  that 
winter,  he  must  do  so  before  the  end  of  the 
week  already  begun. 

His  news  that  their  winter  was  to  be  spent  at 
Viamede  was  hailed  with  delight  by  both  the 
little  girls. 

"  I  am  so  glad  !  "  cried  Grace,  clapping  her 
hands  and  smiling  all  over  her  face. 

"  I,  too,"  exclaimed  Lulu.  "  Viamede  is  so, 
so  beautiful,  and  to  have  you  there  with  us,  you 
dear  papa,  will  make  us — me  any  way — enjoy 
it  at  least  twice  as  much  as  I  did  before." 

"  Me  too,"  said  Grace  ;  "  the  happiest  place 
for  me  is  always  where  my  own  dear  father  is 
with  me,"  hugging  him  tight  and  kissing  him 
again  and  again. 

"  My  darling  !  my  precious  darlings  !  "  the 
captain  said  in  response  and  caressing  them  in 
turn. 

"I'm  so  sorry  for  poor  Maxie,"  remarked 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  209 

Grace  presently,  "  that  lie  can't  see  you  every 
day,  papa,  as  we  do,  and  be  kissed  and  hugged 
as  we  are  ;  and  that  he  can't  go  to  Viamede 
with  the  rest  of  us."  She  finished  with  a  heavy 
sigh. 

"  Yes,"  her  father  said,  "  I  am  sorry  for  him, 
and  for  ourselves,  that  he  is  not  to  be  with  us. 
But  my  dear  boy  is  happy  where  he  is,  and  I  in 
the  thought  that  he  is  preparing  himself  to  do 
good  service  to  our  country  ;  to  be  a  valuable 
and  useful  citizen." 

"  And  we  are  all  ever  so  proud  of  him — our 
ilear  Maxie  ;  but  I'm  glad  I  am  not  a  boy. 
Women  can  be  very  useful  in  the  world  too, 
can't  they,  papa  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  yes,  indeed,  my  darlings  ;  the  world 
couldn't  go  on  without  women,  any  more  than 
without  men  ;  both  are  necessary,  and  the  one 
sex  to  be  as  much  honored  as  the  other,  and  I 
hope  and  trust  my  daughters  will  all  grow  up  to 
be  noble,  true-hearted,  useful  women,  always 
trying  to  do  earnestly  and  faithfully  the  work 
God  has  given  them  to  do." 

"  I  hope  so,  indeed,  papa  !  "  responded  Lulu 
in  an  earnest,  thoughtful  tone  ;  "if  I  know  my 
own  heart  I  do  want  to  be  a  very  useful  woman 
when  I'm  grown  up — a  useful  girl  now — serving 
God  with  all  my  might ;  but  oh,  I  do  so  easily 
forget  and  go  wrong  !  " 

"  Yet  I  can  see  very  plainly  that  my  dear  little 


210  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

girl  is  improving,"  her  father  said,  softly  smooth 
ing  her  hair  with  his  hand,  "  and  I'm  sure — for 
the  Bible  tells  us  so — that  if  you  fight  on,  look 
ing  to  God  for  help,  you  will  come  off  conqueror 
and  more  than  conqueror  in  the  end." 

"  Yes,  papa  ;  oh,  I  am  so  glad  the  Bible  says 
that ! " 

There  was  a  moment's  silence  ;  then  Grace 
said,  with  a  sigh  and  a  voice  full  of  tears, 
"  Oh,  I  do  so  wish  I  could  see  Maxie  before  we 
go  so  far  away  from  him  !  Papa,  wouldn't  they 
let  him  come  home  for  just  a  little  while  ?  " 

"  No,  daughter ;  but  how  would  you  like  to 
go  with  Lulu  and  me  to  pay  him  a  little  visit  ?  " 

"  O  papa  !  so  much  if — if  you  think  I  won't 
be  too  tired  to  go  on  to  Viamede  so  soon  after 
ward." 

"  I  really  think  you  could  stand  the  two  jour 
neys,  coming  so  near  together,  now  that  you 
are  so  much  stronger  than  you  used  to  be  ;  and 
as  you  can  lie  and  rest  in  the  cars,  and  we  go 
by  water  from  New  Orleans.  Don't  you  feel  as 
if  you  could  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  papa,  I  feel  almost  sure  I  could  ! " 
she  cried  joyously, 

"  Then  we  will  try  it,"  he  said,  fondling  her ; 
"you  will  have  no  packing  to  do — I  am  sure 
Mamma  Vi  and  Lulu  will  be  pleased  to  attend 
to  all  that  for  you — and  the  journey  to  Annap- 
cii«  ig  u»«g  a  very  long  or  fatiguing  one.  So, 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  211 

ehowld  nothing  happen  to  prevent,  you  shall 
make  one  of  our  little  party  to  visit  Max." 

Grace's  eyes  shone  with  pleasure  and  Lulu  ex 
claimed  delightedly,  "  Oh,  I  am  so  glad,  Gracie  I 
It  will  double  my  pleasure  to  have  you  along  ; 
and  you  needn't  worry  one  bit  about  your  pack 
ing  of  clothes  or  playthings,  for  I'm  sure  I  can 
see  to  it  all  with  Christine  or  Alma  to  help  me  ; 
or  even  if  I  should  have  to  do  it  all  myself." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  Lu  !  "  exclaimed  Grace, "  you 
are  just  the  very  best  sister  that  ever  I  saw  ! 
Isn't  she,  papa  ?  " 

"  I  think  her  a  very  good  and  kind  sister, 
and  it  makes  me  a  proud  and  happy  father  to 
be  able  to  give  her  that  commendation,"  he 
answered,  with  a  loving  look  down  into  the  eyes 
of  his  eldest  daughter. 

Just  then  Violet  re-entered  the  room  and  a 
merry,  happy  hour  followed,  while  plans  and 
prospects  were  under  discussion. 

"  Won't  you  excuse  Gracie  and  me  from  les 
sons  the  rest  of  the  time  before  we  start  for 
Viamede,  papa  ?  asked  Lulu  coaxingly. 

"  Ho,  daughter,"  replied  the  captain,  in  a 
pleasant  tone  ;  "there  is  very  little  either  of 
you  will  be  called  upon  to  do  in  regard  to  the 
preparations  for  our  southward  flitting,  so  no 
occasion  for  you  to  miss  lessons  for  so  many 
days.  Of  course  you  cannot  study  on  the  boats 
and  cars,  at  least  I  shall  not  ask  it  ~£  yc*~,  and 


212  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

when  we  get  to  Yiamede  you  will  be  glad  of  a 
little  holiday  to  rest  and  run  about,  seeing 
everything  that  is  to  be  seen  ;  and  all  that  will 
cause  quite  sufficient  loss  of  time  from  your  les 
sons." 

"  Oh,  dear,"  sighed  Lulu,  "  I  think  it  must  be 
ever  so  nice  to  be  grown  up  and  not  have  any 
lessons  to  learn." 

"  Ah,  Lu,"  laughed  Violet, "  I  am  not  so  sure 
that  grown  up  folks  have  no  lessons  to  learn  ; 
in  fact  I  begin  to  have  an  idea  that  their  lessons 
are  not  seldom  more  trying  and  wearisome 
than  those  of  the  children." 

"  Yes,  Mamma  Yi,"  responded  Lulu,  with  a 
blush,  "  and  I'm  sorry  and  ashamed  of  my 
grumbling.  Papa,  I'm  just  determined  I  will 
be  good  and  do  cheerfully  whatever  you  bid 
me  ;  I  have  always,  always  found  your  way  the 
very  best  in  the  end." 

"  Why,  yes,  Lu  ;  of  course  papa  always  knows 
far  better  than  we  do  what  is  best  for  us,"  said 
Grace,  leaning  lovingly  up  against  him  and 
smiling  up  into  his  face. 

"  Papa  is  very  happy  in  having  such  loving, 
trustful  little  daughters,"  he  said,  passing  his 
hand  caressingly  over  Grade's  golden  curls. 


CHAPTER  XVt 

>r  was  a  most  joyful  surprise  to  Max  when, 
on  the  following  Saturday,  his  father  and  sis 
ters  walked  in  upon  him,  as  he  left  the  dinner 
table  full  of  life  and  pleasure  at  the  thought  of 
the  half  holiday  that  had  just  begun. 

His  standing  and  conduct  had  been  such  that 
he  was  entitled  to  leave,  and  to  be  able  to  spend 
it  with  these  dear  ones  was  most  delightful. 

A  carriage  had  brought  the  captain  and  his 
little  girls  to  the  door,  and  they — father  and 
children — took  a  long  drive  together,  during 
which  the  tongues  of  Max  and  Lulu  ran  very 
fast. 

She  and  Gracie  thoroughly  enjoyed  Max's 
surprise  on  learning  of  the  plans  for  the  winter, 
so  soon  to  be  carried  out. 

At  first  he  seemed  to  feel  rather  badly  at  the 
thought  that  they  would  all  be  so  far  away 
trom  him  ;  but  he  presently  got  over  that,  as 
his  father  spoke  of  the  letters  he  would  receive 
from  Viamede  every  day,  and  how  quickly  the 
winter  would  pass  and  all  be  coming  home 
again,  some  of  them — certainly  himself — mak 
ing  haste  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Academy  to  see 

818 


214  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

their  young  cadet  and  learn  what  progress 
he  was  making  in  preparing  for  future  duty 
in  the  naval  service  of  his  country. 

At  that  Max's  face  brightened  and  he  said 
heartily,  "  And  I  shall  try  nay  best  to  have  as 
good  a  report  as  possible  ready  for  you,  papa, 
that  you  may  be  proud  and  happy  in  your  first- 
born  son.  Ah,  the  thought  of  that  does  help 
me  to  study  hard  and  try  very,  very  earnestly 
to  keep  rules,  so  that  I  may  be  an  honor,  and 
not  a  disgrace  to  the  best  of  fathers." 

"Yes,  I  am  sure  of  it,  my  dear  boy,"  the 
captain  replied,  laying  his  hand  on  the  lad's 
shoulder,  while  the  light  of  fathzrly  love  and 
pride  shone  in  his  eyes  ;  "  I  haven'':  a  doubt  that 
it  is  one  of  my  son's  greatest  pleasures  to  make 
himself  the  joy  and  pride  of  his  father's  heart." 

They  drove  back  to  the  Academy  just  in 
time  for  Max  to  be  ready  to  report  himself  at 
evening  roll-call,  according  to  the  rules,  with 
which  no  one  was  better  acquainted  than  the 
captain. 

He  and  the  little  girls  were  to  start  on  their 
return  journey  that  evening,  and  good-by  was 
said  at  the  Academy  door. 

A  very  hard  one  it  seemed  to  the  little  girls, 
hardly  less  so  to  Max  and  his  father.  The  cap 
tain  and  his  daughters  went  by  boat,  as  less  fa 
tiguing  for  Grace,  and  reached  home  on  Monday. 

The  next  day  was  a  busy  one  to  ali,  and 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  215 

Wednesday  noon  saw  them  on  the  cars,  bound 
for  New  Orleans. 

A  day  and  night  were  spent  in  the  city,  then 
they  took  the  steamer  for  Berwick  Bay. 

The  morning  was  clear  and  bright  and  the 
captain,  Violet,  and  the  children  all  sat  upon 
deck,  greatly  enjoying  the  breeze  and  the 
dancing  of  the  waves  in  the  sunlight,  as  the 
vessel  cleared  its  port  and  steamed  out  into  the 
gulf. 

"  Oh",  it  is  so  pleasant  here ! "  exclaimed 
Grace  ;  "  just  like  summer.  And  see  the  beau 
tiful  rainbow  in  the  water  that  the  wheel 
throws  up  !  " 

"Oh,  yes;  so  pretty,  oh,  so  pretty!"  cried 
little  Elsie,  clapping  her  hands  in  delight. 

"  Oh,  so  pitty  !  "  echoed  baby  Ned. 

"  Take  care,  little  ones  ;  I  fear  you  may  fall 
overboard,"  warned  the  captain.  "Come  and 
sit  on  papa's  knee,  and  perhaps  mamma  will 
kindly  tell  us  of  all  the  lovely  things  we  will 
see  at  Viamede." 

They  obeyed  and  were  charmed  with 
mamma's  story  of  what  she  had  done  and  seen 
at  Viamede  when  she  was  a  little  girl,  and  of 
dear  grandma  being  once  a  baby  girl  in  the 
very  same  house,  and  how  dearly  all  the  old 
servants  loved  her,  and  how  they  mourned  when 
ehe  was  taken  away  to  live  with  her  grandpa 
it  Roseland. 


216  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

The  babies  and  even  the  older  folks,  not  ex« 
cepting  papa  himself,  seemed  deeply  interested, 
and  more  delighted  than  before  that  they  were 
so  soon  to  see  Viamede. 

At  length  Ned  fell  asleep,  Elsi*.  presently 
followed  his  example,  and  older  people  were 
left  to  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  the  lovely  scenes 
through  which  they  were  passing  ;  for  they 
had  now  entered  Teche  Bayou,  and  from  that 
pressed  on,  threading  the  way  uhrough  lake  and 
lakelet,  past  plantation  and  swamp,  plain  and 
forest,  coming  upon  cool,  shudy  dells  carpeted 
with  a  rich  growth  of  velvetr  grass,  and  flowers 
of  varied  hue,  and  shaded  by  magnificent  trees, 
oaks  and  magnolias ;  whi!e  amid  groves  of 
orange  trees  they  could  see  lordly  villas,  tall 
white  sugar-houses  and  rows  of  cabins  where 
the  negro  laborers  dwelt. 

"A  beautiful,  beautiful  country,"  remarked 
the  captain,  breaking  a  prolonged  silence. 

"Quite  up  to  your  expectations,  my  dear?** 
queried  Violet,  glancing  up  at  him,  her  eyes 
shining  with  pleasure. 

"I  believe  it  rather  exceeds  them,"  he  replied, 
"  it  is  very,  very  lovely  !  an  earthly  paradise,  so 
fai  as  beauty  can  make  it  such." 

"  Papa,  do  you  suppose  you  will  know  which 
is  Yiamede  when  you  see  it  ?  "  queried  Lulu. 
*'I  very  much  doubt  it,  daughter,"  he  answered. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  there  it  is,  just  coming  into  sight ; 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  217 

the  sugar-house,  at  least,  and  yonder,  a  little  be 
yond,  is  the  great  orange  orchard." 

"  And  it's  just  beautiful !  "  cried  Grace.  "  See» 
papa,  the  orange  trees,  with  their  beautiful, 
glossy  leaves  and  ripe  and  green  fruit,  and  flow 
ers  all  on  them  at  once." 

*  And  presently  we  will  come  to  the  beautiful 
lawn,  with  its  giant  oaks,  magnolia  trees,  vel 
vety  grass  and  lovely  flowers,"  exclaimed  Lulu. 
"  Oh,  I  am  so  much  obliged  to  dear  Grandma 
Elsie,  for  inviting  us  all  to  spend  the  winter 
here  again  ! " 

"  Yes,  it  was  very  kind,"  her  father  said,  "  and 
I  hope  my  children  will  do  nothing  to  mar  the 
peace  of  the  household,  and  so  distress  Mamma 
Vi's  dear  mother." 

"  I  do  intend  to  be  a  very  good  girl,  papa,  and 
if  I  begin  to  be  the  least  bit  bad,  I  do  hope  you'll 
stop  it  at  once  by  punishing  me  well  and  mak 
ing  me  behave  myself,"  Lulu  said,  in  a  low,  earn 
est  tone,  speaking  close  to  his  ear. 

"Dear  child,"  he  returned,  in  the  same  low 
key  in  which  she  had  spoken,  "  I  have  not  the 
least  doubt  that  you  intend  to  be  and  do  all  I 
could  ask  or  wish." 

There  was  no  time  for  anything  more  just 
then,  for,  as  they  were  Hearing  their  destination, 
baggage  must  be  seen  to  and  satchels  and  par 
cels  gathered  up. 

Presently  the  boat  rounded  to  at  the  wharfj 


218  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

and  in  another  minute  greetings  and  embraces 
were  being  exchanged  with  the  cousins,  who, 
having  been  duly  informed  of  the  intended 
arrival,  were  gathered  there  to  give  a  cordial 
and  delighted  welcome  to  Violet,  her  husband, 
and  children. 

There  were  servants  also,  some  few  of  the  old 
and  some  new  ones,  each  and  all  eager  for  a 
handshake  and  a  few  words  of  greeting  from 
"  Miss  Wi'let  and  the  cap 'en  and  dere  chillens," 
in  which  they  were  not  disappointed. 

In  a  few  moments  the  baggage  had  been 
landed  and  was  being  taken  to  the  house,  while 
ladies,  gentlemen,  and  children  followed,  the 
newly  arrived  gazing,  delighted,  about  upon  the 
beauties  of  the  place,  the  others  asking  many 
questions  concerning  Grandma  Elsie  and  those 
of  her  family  left  behind — how  they  were  in 
health,  and  when  they  would  come  to  Via- 
mede. 

"  You  will  find  the  house  in  very  tolerable 
order,  I  think,  Vi,"  remarked  Mrs.  Keith, 
"though  doubtless  many  little  repairs  and 
improvements  needed,  that  Cousin  Elsie  may 
find  everything  in  order  when  she  comes.  It 
was  a  good  idea  to  get  you  and  the  captain  to 
come  a  little  in  advance  of  the  older  folk  and 
have  everything  in  order  for  their  reception." 

"  I  think  so,"  Violet  said  with  a  smile,  "  and 
that  no  better  person  than  my  honored  husband 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  219 

could  have  been  found  to  undertake  that 
task." 

"  No  more  trustworthy  one,  I  am  sure,  judg 
ing  from  his  looks,"  returned  Isa.  "  I  am  de 
lighted  with  his  appearance,  Vi ;  he  is  as  noble  * 
looking  a  man  as  ever  I  saw." 

Violet  flushed  with  pleasure.  "  And  he  is  all 
that  he  appears  to  be,  Isa,"  she  said  ;  "  the  bet 
ter  he  is  known  the  more  highly  is  he  esteemed." 

A  bountiful  supper  had  been  prepared  for  the 
travelers,  and  the  others  stayed  and  partook  with 
them,  but  soon  after  leaving  the  table  bade  good 
night  and  went  to  their  own  homes. 

Then  Violet  took  her  sleepy  little  ones  up 
stairs  to  see  them  to  bed,  leaving  the  captain, 
Irilu,  and  Grace  on  the  veranda, 

As  usual,  the  two  were  hanging  lovingly  about 
their  father,  he  seeming  to  enjoy  it  as  much  as 
they. 

It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night,  warm,  and 
sweet  with  the  breath  of  flowers  ;  away  in  the 
distance,  beyond  the  wide-spreading  lawn,  they 
could  see  the  waters  of  the  bayou  glittering  in 
the  moonbeams,  and  the  soft  plash  of  oars  came 
pleasantly  to  their  ears. 

"  Oh,  isn't  it  just  lovely,  here  !  "  exclaimed 
Lulu,  breaking  a  momentary  silence.  "  Papa, 
did  I  exaggerate  in  telling  you  of  the  beauties 
of  the  place  ?  " 

"  No,  I  think  not,"  he  replied  ;  "  it  is  cen 


220  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

tainly  very  lovely,  and  I  hope  we  are  going  to 
have  a  happy  winter  here." 

"  I'm  sure  we  will  ;  I'm  happy  anywhere  with 
you,  my  dear,  dear  papa,"  said  Grace,  putting 
an  arm  round  his  neck  and  pressing  her  lips  to 
his  cheek. 

"  So  am  I,"  said  Lulu,  "  unless  I  have  been 
doing  wrong,  and  papa  is  displeased  with  me. 
Oh,  I  do  mean  to  try  my  very  hardest  to  be 
good !  and  I'm  sure  it  will  be  ever  so  much 
easier  with  you  for  my  tutor,  dear  papa,  than 
it  was  before,  going  to  that  horrid  school  and 
having  to  take  music  lessons  from  that  Signer 
Foresti,  who  was  so  ill-tempered  and  struck  me, 
when  I  was  trying  as  hard  as  I  could  to  play 
my  piece  just  right." 

"  Yes,  daughter,  I  think  it  will  be  easier  for 
you  with  the  tutor  who  loves  you  and  is  loved 
by  you,"  assented  the  captain,  drawing  her  into 
a  close,  loving  embrace.  "We  must  see  if  a 
music  teacher  is  to  be  had  here,  but  certainly 
will  not  try  Signor  Foresti  again." 

"  Oh,  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,  papa  ! 
though  I  never  thought  you  would  send  me 
back  to  him  again.  I  am,  oh,  so  glad  I  belong 
to  you  instead  of  to — anybody  else." 

"  So  am  I,"  he  responded,  with  a  happy  little 
laugh. 

"  And  that  I  do  too,  papa  ?  "  asked  Grace,  ia 
a  half -pleading  tone. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  221 

*  Yes,  yes,  my  own  darling,"  lie  said,  address 
ing  her  with  great  tenderness.  "You  are  no 
less  dear  than  your  sister." 

"  How  good  in  you,  papa  !  for  I'm  not  half 
so  bright  or  pretty  as  Lu,"  she  said,  patting  his 
cheek  with  her  small  white  hand. 

"  Why,  Gracie  ! "  exclaimed  Lulu,  "  whatever 
put  such  a  thing  as  that  into  your  head  ?  You 
are  far  prettier,  and  better  too,  than  I  am.  Isn't 
she,  papa  ?  " 

"  You  must  not  ask  me  such  hard  questions," 
he  returned  laughingly,  and  hugging  them  both 
up  in  his  arms,  "  I  really  could  not  say  that 
either  one  is  prettier  or  dearer  to  me  than  the 
other,  or  that  I  love  either  more  or  less  than  I 
do  each  of  the  other  three.  The  love  differs 
somewhat  in  kind,  but,  I  think,  not  in  intensity." 

"Yes,  papa,  I  suppose  so,"  returned  Lulu 
thoughtfully  ;  "  for  instance  you  must  have 
quite  a  different  sort  of  love  for  Max,  who  is 
almost  old  enough  to  take  care  of  himself,  and 
baby  Ned  who  is  so  very  young  and  helpless." 

Violet  joined  them  at  that  moment,  reported 
the  babies  as  fast  asleep  in  the  nursery,  and 
consulted  her  husband  as  to  what  rooms  they 
should  occupy  during  their  stay  ;  saying  her 
mother  had  kindly  bade  them  please  themselves 
in  regard  to  that  matter. 

"  Choose  for  yourself,  my  dear,"  replied  the 
captain,  "  and  I  shall  be  entirely  satisfied  ;  only 


222  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

I  should  like  to  have  these  children  close  at 
hand — a  door  of  communication  between  their 
room,  or  rooms,  and  ours,  if  that  can  be  easily 
managed.  We  must  be  near  the  babies  of 
course." 

"  Yes,  indeed  !  Near  every  one  of  our  four," 
returned  Violet  brightly  ;  "  I  could  not  be 
easy  otherwise,  any  more  than  their  father. 

"  But  suppose  I  take  you  over  the  house,  if 
you  are  not  too  tired.  To-morrow,  you  remem 
ber,  is  Sunday,  and  I  could  hardly  wait  till 
Monday,  to  say  nothing  of  the  curiosity  that 
must  of  course  be  consuming  you." 

"  Of  course,"  returned  the  captain  laughingly, 
as  he  rose  and  gave  her  his  arm  ;  "  it  will  give 
me  great  pleasure  to  accompany  you,  if  you  are 
not  too  weary  for  such  exertion." 

"  Not  a  bit,"  she  said  ;  "  the  trip  on  the  boat 
•was  more  restful  than  fatiguing  ;  at  least  so  far 
as  concerned  myself.  May  not  Lulu  and 
Gracie  come  too  ?  " 

"  If  they  wish  ;  though  I  fear  Gracie  is  too 
tired,"  he  said,  with  an  inquiring  glance  at  her. 
"  If  you  would  like  to  go,  pet,  papa  will  carry 
yon  up  the  stairs." 

"  Oh,  then,  I  would  like  to,  papa  ;  I'm  not  so 
very  tired,"  she  answered  eagerly. 

"  Then  of  course  Lulu  is  not  ?  "  he  said  with 
t  smiling  glance  at  his  eldest  daughter. 

"  No,  indeed,  papa  ;  and  I'd  dearly  love  to  go 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  223 

•long,"  she  answered,  taking  Grade's  hand  and 
with  her  tripping  along  in  the  rear,  as  he  and 
Violet  passed  on  into  the  wide  hall. 

They  first  inspected  the  rooms  on  the  lower 
floor,  lingering  longest  in  the  drawing-room, 
where  the  many  beautiful  paintings  and  pieces 
of  statuaiy  were  very  attractive. 

"  We  cannot  give  them  half  enough  time 
to-night,"  remarked  Violet,  "but  fortunately 
have  good  reason  to  hope  for  many  opportun 
ities  for  future  inspection." 

"  Yes,"  the  captain  said,  glancing  at  Grace, 
then  at  his  watch.  "  Shall  we  not  call  in  the 
servants  and  have  prayers  before  going  upstairs? 
It  is  not  far  from  the  usual  time,  and  I  see 
Gracie  is  growing  weary." 

Violet  gave  a  ready  assent  and  led  the  way  to 
the  family  parlor  where  her  grandfather  had 
been  wont  to  hold  that  service. 

The  servants  were  summoned  and  came  in 
looking  well  pleased.  The  captain  made  the 
service  short  out  of  consideration  for  Grade's 
weariness,  though,  indeed,  he  never  thought  it 
well  to  lengthen  it  so  much  as  to  risk  making 
it  a  weariness  to  either  children  or  servants. 

A  few  directions  in  regard  to  securing  doors 
and  windows  for  the  night  and  as  to  what  should 
be  done  for  the  comfort  of  the  family  in  the 
morning,  then  he,  Violet,  and  the  little  girls, 
having  exchanged  kindly  good-nights  with  the 


224  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

servants,  went  on  up  the  broad  stairvray,  the 
captain,  according  to  promise,  carrying  Grace 
in  his  arms. 

Only  a  hasty  survey  of  the  upper  rooms  was 
taken  that  night,  for  all  began  to  feel  the  need 
of  rest  and  sleep.  Apartments  connected  with 
each  other  and  the  nursery  were  selected  for 
occupation,  and  soon  all  were  resting  peacefully 
ia  their  beds. 


CHAPTER 

THE  Sabbath  morning  dawned  bright  and 
Lulu  rose  with  the  sun  and,  before  he 
was  an  hour  high,  was  down  on  the  veranda, 
gazing  with  delight  upon  the  lovely  landscape 
spread  out  at  her  feet. 

So  absorbed  in  its  beauties  was  she  that  she 
failed  to  hear  an  approaching  footstep,  and  was 
aware  of  her  father's  presence  only  when  he 
laid  a  hand  gently  on  her  head  and,  bending 
down,  imprinted  a  kiss  on  her  lips. 

"  An  early  bird  as  usual,  my  darling  ! "  he 
said. 

"Yes,  sir,  like  my  father,  my  dear,  dear 
father,"  she  returned,  twining  her  arma 
around  his  neck  and  holding  him  fast  for  a 
moment. 

"  Did  you  sleep  well  ? "  he  asked,  releasing 
himself  and  taking  her  hand  in  his. 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed,  papa  !     Did  not  you  ?  w 

"  I  did  ;  I  think  we  all  did,'*  he  answered. 
w  God  has  been  very  good  to  us.  And  what  a 
Jovely,  lovely  Sunday  morning  it  is  1 M 

"  We  can  all  go  to  church,  can't  we,  papa  ?* 
fbe  asked. 


226  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  I  think  so,"  he  said.  "  And  now  you  would 
like  to  walk  down  across  the  lawn,  to  the  water's 
edge,  with  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed,  papa,"  she  cried  delightedly. 
"  It  was  just  what  I  was  wanting  to  do." 

"  It  might  be  well  for  you  to  have  a  bh  of 
something  to  eat  first,"  he  said.  "  Ah,  here 
is  just  the  thing  !  "  as  a  servant  approached 
with  a  waiter  on  which  were  some  oranges 
prepared  for  eating  in  the  way  Grandma  Elsie 
had  enjoyed  them  in  her  young  days. 

"Thank  you,  Aunt  Sally,"  the  captain  said, 
helping  Lulu  and  himself  ;  "  you  could  have 
brought  us  nothing'more  tempting  and  delicious. 
Will  you  please  carry  some  up  to  my  wife  ?  " 

"  Ise  done  it  already,  sah,"  replied  the  woman, 
smiling  all  over  her  face,  and  dropping  a  cour- 
tesy  ;  "  yes,  sah  ;  an'  she  say  dey's  mighty  nice, 
jes  like  she  hab  when  she's  heah  in  dis  place 
yeans  ago." 

"  Papa,"  remarked  Lulu,  as  they  presently 
crossed  the  lawn  together,  "  I'm  so  glad  to  be 
here  again,  and  with  you.  It  was  a  delightful 
place  the  other  time,  I  thought,  but,  oh,  it  seems 
twice  as  pleasant  now,  because  my  dear  father 
is  with  us  ! "  and  she  lifted  her  eyes  to  his  face 
with  a  look  of  ardent  affection. 

"  Dear  child,  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to 
be  with  you  and  the  rest,"  he  returned,  press 
ing  affectionately  the  little  hand  he  held  in 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  227 

fcis,  "  and  if  you  do  not  have  a  happier  time 
than  you  had  here  before,  it  shall  not  be  because 
your  father  does  not  try  to  make  it  so. 

"  But,  my  dear  little  daughter,  remember  you 
have  the  same  spiritual  foes  to  fight  here  as  in 
other  places.  If  you  would  be  happy  you  must 
try  to  live  very  near  to  Jesus  and  to  watch  and 
pray  lest  you  enter  into  temptation.  Particu* 
larly  must  you  be  ever  on  your  guard  against 
that  quick  temper  which  has  so  often  got  you 
into  trouble." 

"  Papa,  I  do  intend  to,"  she  said,  with  a  sigh  ; 
"  and  I  am  very  glad  I  shall  have  you  close  at 
hand  all  the  time  to  help  me  in  the  fight;  for  you 
do  help  me,  oh,  so  often — so  much,  dear  papa  P* 
and  again  she  lifted  loving  eyes  to  his  face. 

"  I  am  very  thankful  that  I  can,  my  darling,* 
be  returned.  "  I  feel  that  God  has  been  very 
good  to  me  in  so  changing  my  circumstances 
that  I  can  be  with  you  almost  constantly  to  aid 
you  in  the  hard  task  of  learning  to  control  the 
fiery  temper  inherited  from  me.  Yet,  as  I  have 
often  told  you,  dear  child,  the  hardest  part  of 
the  fight  must  inevitably  be  your  own,  and  only 
by  the  help  of  him  who  has  all  power  in  heaven 
and  in  earth  can  you  conquer  at  last. 

"  I  want  you  to  feel  that  in  your  inmost  soul, 
and  to  beware  of  self-confidence,  which  was,  I 
think,  the  cause  of  your  sad  failure  of  a  few 
weeks  ago." 


128  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  Yes,  papa,"  she  said  humbly,  "  I  believe  I 
had  begun  to  feel  that  I  was  quite  reformed,  so 
did  not  watch  and  pray  as  constantly  as  I  used 
to,  and  then  almost  before  I  knew  it  I  was  in  a 
passion  with  poor  Alma." 

"  *  When  I  am  weak,  then  am  I  strong  ! '  the 
apostle  says,"  returned  her  father  ;  "  that  is  when 
we  feel  our  weakness  and  trust  in  the  strength 
of  our  Almighty  Saviour;  of  him  who  has 
said,  *  In  me  is  thine  help.'  It  is  help,  daughter, 
which  is  never  refused  to  those  who  look  humbly 
to  Jesus  for  it." 

"  I  am  so  glad  the  Bible  tells  us  that,"  she  said. 

They  walked  on  in  silence  for  a  little,  then 
Lulu  said,  "Papa,  I  asked  Cousin  Molly  last 
night  if  Professor  Manton  still  had  his  school  at 
Oakdale.  She  said,  *  Yes,  is  your  papa  going  to 
send  you  there  ? '  and  I  was  so  glad  I  could  an 
swer,  '  No,  ma'am  ;  he  is  going  to  teach  me  him 
self.'  Then  Cousin  Molly  said,  *  Oh,  is  he  ?  I 
am  sure  that  will  be  far  pleasanter  for  you,  dear. 
The  professor  is  not  very  popular,  and  I  hear 
that  his  school  grows  smaller.' " 

"  Ah,  then,  don't  you  think  it  would  be  only 
kind  in  me  to  put  my  eldest  daughter  there  as  a 
pupil  ?  "  asked  the  captain  jestingly. 

"  Not  to  me,  papa,  I  am  sure,"  she  answered, 
lifting  to  his  smiling  eyes  that  said  as  plainly  aa 
any  words  could  have  spoken  that  she  had  no 
fear  that  he  would  do  any  such  thing. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  229 

"  No  ;  and  I  do  not  know  what  could  induce 
Bie  to  do  so,"  he  returned.  "  So  you  need 
never  ask  it,  but  must  try  to  content  yourself 
with  the  tutor  who  has  had  charge  of  your 
education  ever  since  Woodburn  became  our 
home." 

"  I  don't  need  to  try,  papa,"  she  said  with  a 
happy  laugh  ;  "  for  it's  just  as  easy  as  anything. 
Gracie  and  I  both  think  there  was  never  such  a 
dear,  kind  teacher  as  ours.  Neither  of  us  wants 
ever  to  have  any  other." 

"Ah  !  then  we  are  mutually  pleased.  And 
now  I  think  we  should  turn  and  go  back  to  the 
house,  for  it  must  be  near  the  breakfast  hour." 
They  found  Violet,  Grace,  and  the  little  ones  on 
the  veranda,  awaiting  their  coming,  and  break 
fast  ready  to  be  served. 

Morning  greetings  were  exchanged  and  all  re 
paired  to  the  breakfast  room. 

The  meal  proved  a  dainty  one,  was  daintily 
served  and  enlivened  by  cheerful  chat  on  such 
themes  as  were  not  unsuited  to  the  sacredness 
of  the  day. 

Family  worship  followed,  and  soon  after  the 
family  carriage  was  at  the  door  ready  to  con 
vey  them  to  the  church  of  which  their  Cousin 
Cyril  was  pastor. 

The  captain,  Violet,  and  the  two  little  girls, 
Lulu  and  Grace,  formed  the  deputation  from 
that  family,  the  two  babies  remaining  at  home 


230  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

in  the  care  of  their  nurse,  whom  they  had 
brought  with  them  from  "Woodburn. 

Cyril  gave  them  an  excellent  sermon,  and  at 
the  close  of  the  exercises  conducted  a  Bible  class 
attended  by  nearly  every  one  belonging  to  ths 
congregation. 

The  Viamede  family  remained  to  its  close, 
held  a  little  pleasant  talk  with  the  relatives  from 
the  parsonage  and  Magnolia  Hall,  then  drove 
back  to  Viamede,  reaching  there  just  in  time  for 
dinner. 

In  the  afternoon  the  captain  gathered  his 
family  and  the  servants  under  the  trees  in  the 
lawn,  read  and  expounded  a  portion  of  scrip, 
ture,  and  led  them  in  prayer  and  the  singing  of 
several  familiar  hymns. 

The  evening  was  spent  much  as  it  would 
have  been  at  Woodburn,  and  all  retired  early 
to  rest. 

Monday  morning  found  them  all  in  good 
health  and  spirits,  entirely  recovered  from  the 
fatigues  of  the  journey  and  ready  for  work  or  play. 

"  We  don't  have  to  learn  and  recite  lessons 
to-day,  papa,  do  we  ? "  asked  Lulu,  at  the 
breakfast  table.  "I  think  you  said  we  could 
have  a  day  or  two  for  play  first,  didn't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  but  I  shall  give  you  your  choice  of 
having  that  playtime  now  or  taking  it  about  a 
week  hence,  when  you  will  have  Rosie  and 
Walter  with  you.'* 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  231 

*  May  I  choose  too,  papa  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"Yes." 

"Then  I  choose  to  wait  for  my  holiday  till 
the  others  are  here  to  share  it  with  us  ;  for  don't 
you  suppose  Grandma  Elsie  will  let  them, 
papa  ?  " 

"  No  doubt  of  it,"  he  replied.  "  And  what  is 
your  choice,  Lulu  ?  " 

"  The  same  as  Grade's,  papa,"  she  answered  in 
bright  cheerful  tones.  "Lessons  are  not  bad 
to  take,  with  you  for  my  teacher,"  she  added 
laughingly,  "  and  will  leave  us  a  good  deal  of 
time  for  running  about  and  looking  at  every 
thing." 

"Besides  an  occasional  drive  or  walk  with 
mamma  and  papa,"  he  supplemented,  with  an 
approving  smile,  adding,  "the  lessons  shall 
not  be  long  or  hard  to-day,  so  that  you  will  still 
have  some  time  for  roaming  about  the  grounds ; 
and  perhaps,  if  my  pupils  are  very  deserving, 
there  may  be  a  row  on  the  bayou  after  dinner." 

"  Oh,  how  delightful,  papa  !  "  they  cried,  in  a 
breath. 

"  I  am  glad  you  think  so,"  he  said,  smiling  on 
them  ;  "  there  is  nothing  I  enjoy  more  than  giv 
ing  pleasure  to  my  wife  and  children,"  with  an 
affectionate  glance  at  Violet.  "  I  hope  such  a 
little  excursion  will  afford  you  pleasure,  my 
dear  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  returned  gayly,  "  I  think  even  the 


232  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

children  will  hardly  enjoy  it  more  than  I ;  and," 
she  added  laughingly, "  I  shall  endeavor  to  earn 
my  right  to  it  by  faithfully  attending  to  house 
keeping  matters  in  the  meantime." 

"  I  don't  believe  there  is  any  schoolroom 
here  ! "  exclaimed  Grace,  as  if  struck  with  a 
sudden  thought. 

"  We  will  have  to  select  one  and  get  it  ready 
before  the  others  come,"  said  Violet. 

"  And  for  the  present  my  dressing-room  will 
answer  very  well,"  added  the  captain. 

So  thither  the  children  repaired  at  the  usual 
hour  for  beginning  their  studies. 

It  was  at  first  a  little  difficult  to  fix  their  at 
tention  upon  them,  but  with  an  earaest  desire 
to  do  right,  and  to  please  their  dear  father,  they 
made  very  determined  efforts,  and  had  their  les 
sons  well  prepared  by  the  time  he  came  to  hear 
them. 

It  seemed  to  afford  him  pleasure  to  give  the 
deserved  meed  of  praise,  and  the  young  faces 
grew  bright  and  gladsome  under  it.  An  hour 
was  then  given  to  writing  and  ciphering,  and 
they  were  dismissed  for  the  day. 

"  May  we  go  out  into  the  grounds  now,  papa  ?  " 
asked  Lulu,  as  she  put  up  her  books. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  but  keep  near  the  house 
for  the  present,  for  it  is  near  dinner-time  now." 

"  We  will,  papa,"  both  little  girls  answered 
and  hurried  away. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  3*3 

They  sported  about  the  lawn  till  summoned 
$o  the  house  by  the  dinner-bell,  whose  call  they 
obeyed  with  alacrity,  air  and  exercise  having 
given  them  good  appetites. 

"  My  dear,"  the  captain  said  to  his  wife,  near 
the  conclusion  of  the  meal,  "  you  have  had  a 
busy  morning,  can  you  not  afford  to  devote  the 
afternoon  to  recreation  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  if  you  will  share  it/'  she  replied. 
"  Are  we  not  to  have  that  row  on  the  bayou  ?" 

"It  is  what  I  had  planned,  should  my  wife 
still  feel  inclined  to  go/'  he  said. 

"  Ah  I  that  will  be  very  enjoyable  I  think  j 
and  perhaps  there  may  be  time  afterward  for 
me  to  drive  over  to  the  parsonage.  I  want  a  bit 
of  chat  with  Isa  about  some  household  matters.'* 

"  Yes,  I  think  you  may  have  time  for  both," 
he  returned.  "An  hour  on  the  bayou  will  be 
sufficient  for  this  first  time  ;  the  carriage  can  be 
ordered  to  be  in  waiting  when  we  return,  and 
you,  if  the  plan  suits  your  views,  can  drive  over 
to  the  parsonage  at  once,  have  your  talk,  and  be 
Bt  home  again  in  season  to  pour  out  your  hus 
band's  tea." 

"  That  will  do  nicely,  thank  you,  sir,"  she  re 
turned  gayly.  "  I  see  I  am  not  likely  to  lack  for 
diversion  with  you  at  the  head  of  affairs,  so  I 
think  I  shall  try  to  keep  you  there  as  long  as 
possible." 

"I  hope  yon  will,  Mamma  Vi,"  said   Lulu, 


834  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  And  any  way  I'm  glad  that  when  papa  is  *tout» 
he  is  the  one  that  has  control  of  me." 

"  So  I  have  at  least  one  willing  subject,"  re 
marked  the  captain,  looking  not  ill-pleased. 

"  Two,  papa,"  said  Grace,  "  you  can  always 
count  on  me  for  one." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it  in  the  least,  dear  child,"  he 
said.  "  And  now,  as  I  see  you  have  all  finished 
your  dinner,  and  the  boat  is  at  the  wharf,  let  us 
be  going." 

In  a  few  minutes  all  were  seated  in  the  boat, 
and  it  was  moving  rapidly  over  the  water,  the 
children  very  merry,  the  parents  by  no  means  dis 
posed  to  check  the  manifestations  of  their  mirth. 

They  found  the  carriage  in  waiting  when  they 
landed. 

"  You  are  going  with  us,  Levis  ?  "  Violet  said 
Inquiringly,  as  the  captain  handed  her  in. 

"  I  should  be  pleased  to  do  so,  my  dear,  but 
have  too  many  business  letters  calling  for  imme 
diate  reply,"  he  said,  lifting  little  Ned,  and  then 
Elsie,  to  a  place  by  her  side.  "  Lulu  and  Gracie, 
you  would  like  to  go  with  your  mamma  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir,  if  I  may,"  Grace  answered  with 
alacrity,  but  Lulu  declined,  saying  :  "  I  would 
much  rather  stay  witli  you,  papa,  if  I  may." 

"  Certainly,  dear  child  ;  I  shall  be  glad  to  have 
yoxi,"  he  said  with  a  pleased  look  ;  "  but  I  fear 
you  will  find  it  dull,  as  I  shall  be  too  busy  to 
talk  to  you,  or  let  you  talk  to  me." 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  238 

•*  But  I  can  be  with  you,  and  perhaps  of  some 
ase  waiting  on  you,  papa." 

"  Perhaps  so,"  he  said.  "  You  generally  con 
trive  to  make  yourself  useful  to  your  father  in 
one  way  or  another." 

Then  the  carriage  drove  on,  Lulu  slipped  hef 
hand  into  his,  and  together  they  walked  back  to 
-the  house. 

"  I  do  hope  I  can  find  something  to  do  that 
will  be  a  help  to  you,  papa,"  she  said,  as  they 
entered  the  library. 

"I  verily  believe  my  dear  eldest  daughter 
would  like  to  carry  all  her  father's  burdens  if 
she  could,"  he  said,  laying  his  hand  caressingly 
on  her  head,  "  but  it  wouldn't  be  good  for  me, 
my  darling,  to  have  my  life  made  too  easy." 

"  I  am  sure  it  wouldn't  hurt  you,  papa,  and  I 
only  wish  I  could  carry  ail  your  burdens,"  she  re 
plied,  with  an  ardently  affectionate  look  up  into 
his  face.  "  Isn't  there  something  I  can  do 
now  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  glancing  at  the  table;  **  here 
are  papers,  magazines,  and  letters,  quite  a  pile. 
You  may  cut  leaves  and  open  envelopes  for  me, 
that  will  save  me  some  time  and  exertion — be 
quite  a  help." 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  I'll  be  glad  to  do  it  all.  But,  oh, 
papa,"  and  a  bright,  eager  look  came  into  her  face. 

"  Well,  daughter,  what  is  it  ?  "  as  she  paused 
half  breathless  with  her  new  idea. 


836  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

u  Papa,  couldn't  I  write  some  of  the  letters 
for  you  ?  Here  is  my  type-writer  that  you  so 
kindly  let  me  bring  along.  I've  learned  to  write 
pretty  fast  on  it,  you  know,  and  wouldn't  it  be 
easier  for  you  just  to  tell  me  the  words  you  want 
eaid  and  let  me  put  them  down,  than  to  do  it  all 
yoiirself  with  either  it  or  your  pen  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  bright  thought,  daughter,"  he  said, 
patting  her  cheek,  and  smiling  down  upon  her, 
"  I  dare  say  that  plan  would  shorten  my  work 
considerably." 

"  Oh,  I  shall  be  so  glad  if  it  does,  papa  ! "  she 
exclaimed.  "  There  is  nothing  in  the  world  Fd 
enjoy  more  than  finding  myself  a  real  help  and 
comfort  to  you." 

"  I  have  found  you  both  many  a  time,  daugh 
ter,"  he  responded,  taking  up  and  opening  a  let 
ter  as  he  spoke,  while  she  picked  up  a  paper- 
cutter  and  fell  zealously  to  work  opening  en 
velopes,  laying  each  one  close  to  his  hand  aa 
ene  had  it  ready. 

"  Xow,  you  may  get  your  type-writer  ready 
for  work,"  he  said  presently.  "  Put  in  a  sheet  of 
this  paper,"  taking  some  from  a  drawer  in  the 
table  and  laying  it  beside  the  machine,  "date  it, 
and  in  a  moment  I  will  tell  you  what  to  say." 

He  had  already  instructed  her  carefully  in 
punctuation  and  paragraphing  :  spelling  also  J 
and,  with  an  occasional  direction  in  regard  to 
such  matters,  she  did  her  work  welL 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  237 

She  was  full  of  joy  when  at  the  close  of  the 
business  he  bestowed  upon  her  a  judicious 
amount  of  praise  and  said  that  she  had  proved 
a  great  help  to  him,  shortening  his  labor  very 
considerably. 

"  I  think,"  he  concluded,  "  that  before  long 
my  dear  eldest  daughter  will  prove  a  valuable 
amanuensis  for  me." 

"  Papa,  I  am  so  glad  ! "  she  cried,  her  cheeks 
flushing  and  her  eyes  sparkling.  "  Oh,  there  is 
nothing  else  in  the  world  that  I  enjoy  so  much 
as  being  a  help  and  comfort  to  my  dear,  dear 
father  ! " 

"  My  precious  little  daughter,"  he  responded, 
"  words  cannot  express  the  love  your  father  feels 
for  you.  Now  there  is  one  letter  that  I  wish  to 
write  with  my  own  hand,  and  while  I  am  doing 
that  you  may  amuse  yourself  in  any  way  you 
like." 

"  May  I  read  this,  papa  ?  "  she  asked,  taking 
up  a  magazine. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  and  she  went  quietly  from 
the  room  with  it  in  her  hand. 

She  seated  herself  on  the  back  veranda,  read 
a  short  story,  then  stole  softly  back  to  the 
library  door  to  see  if  her  father  had  finished  his 
letter  so  that  she  might  talk  to  him. 

But  some  one  else  was  there  ;  a  stranger  she 
thought,  though  she  did  not  get  a  v»ew  of  his 
face. 


238  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

She  paused  on  the  threshold,  uncertain  whether 
her  father  would  wish  her  to  be  present  at  the 
interview,  and  at  that  instant  he  spoke,  appar 
ently  in  reply  to  something  his  caller  had  said, 
and  his  words  riveted  her  to  the  spot. 

"  No,"  he  said,  in  stern  tones,  "  had  I  been 
here  my  daughter  would  never  have  been  sent 
back  to  your  school.  She  was  most  unjustly 
and  shamefully  treated  by  that  fiery  little  Italian, 
and  you,  sir,  upheld  him  in  it.  When  I  am  at 
hand  no  daughter  of  mine  shall  be  struck  by 
another  man,  or  woman  either,  with  impunity, 
and  Foresti  may  deem  himself  fortunate  in  that 
I  was  at  a  distance  when  he  ventured  to  com 
mit  so  great  an  outrage  upon  my  child." 

Lulu  waited  to  hear  no  more,  but  ran  back  to 
the  veranda,  where  she  danced  about  in  a 
tumult  of  delight,  clapping  her  hands  and  say 
ing  exultingly  to  herself,  "  I  just  knew  papa 
wouldn't  have  made  me  go  back  to  that  horrid 
school  and  take  lessons  of  that  brute  of  a  man. 
Oh,  I  do  wish  he  had  been  here  !  How  much  it 
would  have  saved  me  !  If  my  father  is  strict 
and  stern  sometimes,  he's  ever  so  much  better 
and  kinder  than  Grandpa  Dinsmore.  Yes,  yes, 
indeed,  he's  such  a  dear  father  !  I  wouldn't  ex 
change  him  for  any  other,  if  I  could." 

Presently  she  suddenly  ceased  her  jumping 
and  dancing,  and  stood  in  an  intently  listening 
attitude. 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  239 

**  Yes,  lie's  going — that  horrid  professor  ! 
I'm  so  glad  !  I  don't  believe  he'll  ever  trouble 
this  house  again,  while  papa  is  in  it  any  way,n 
she  said  half  aloud. 

Then  running  to  meet  her  father  as  he  re 
turned  from  seeing  the  professor  to  the  door, 
she  threw  her  arms  round  him,  exclaiming  in  a 
voice  quivering  with  delight.  "  Oh,  you  dear, 
dear  papa,  I'm  so  glad,  so  glad  to  know  that  you 
wouldn't  have  made  me  go  back  to  that  horrid 
music  teacher  !  I  felt  sure  at  the  time  that  you 
wouldn't,  if  you  were  here." 

He  heard  her  with  a  look  of  astonishment 
toot  unmixed  with  sternness. 

"  O  papa,  please  don't  be  angry  with  me  !  " 
fihe  pleaded,  tears  starting  to  her  eyes  ;  "  I  didn't 
mean  to  listen,  but  I  happened  to  be  at  the 
library  door  (I  was  going  back  to  see  if  you 
were  done  writing  that  letter  and  I  might  be 
with  you  again)  when  you  told  Professor  Man. 
ton  that  you  wouldn't  have  sent  me  back  to 
Signor  Foresti,  nor  even  to  his  school.  It  made 
me  so  glad,  papa,  but  I  didn't  stop  to  hear  any 
more,  but  ran  away  to  the  veranda  again  ;  be 
cause  I  knew  it  wouldn't  be  right  for  me  to  listen 
to  what  wasn't  intended  for  me  to  hear." 

He  took  her  hand,  led  her  into  the  library 
again,  drew  her  to  a  seat  upon  his  knee,  and 
softly  smoothing  back  the  hair  from  her  fore 
head,  said  in  kind,  fatherly  tones,  "  I  am  not  dis- 


«40  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

pleased  with  you,  daughter.  I  understand  that 
It  was  quite  accidental,  and  I  am  sure  my  little 
girl  is  entirely  above  the  meanness  of  inten 
tionally  listening  to  what  is  evidently  not  meant 
for  her  ear.  And  in  fact,  now  that  I  think  of 
it,  I  am  not  sorry  that  you  know  I  did  not, 
and  do  not  now,  approve  of  the  treatment  you 
received  at  that  time.  Yet  that  was  the  first 
time  I  had  ever  mentioned  it  to  any  one,  and  I 
should  be  sorry  to  have  your  Grandpa  Dinsmore 
know,  or  suspect,  how  entirely  I  disapproved  of 
what  he  thought  best  to  do  at  the  time.  Can, 
and  will,  my  little  daughter  promise  to  keep  the 
eecret  ?  never  mentioning  it  to  any  one  but 
me?" 

"  Yes,  indeed,  papa,''  she  returned,  looking  up 
brightly  into  his  face.  "  Oh,  it's  nice  to  be 
trusted  by  you,  and  not  even  threatened  with 
punishment  if  I  disobey  !  " 

"  I  am  happy  to  think  that  is  by  no  means 
necessary,"  he  said,  drawing  her  into  a  closer 
embrace.  "  I  believe  my  little  girl  loves  her 
father  well  enough  to  do  of  her  own  free  will 
what  she  knows  he  would  have  her  do." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  papa,"  she  answered  earnestly  ; 
"and  do  you  know, it  seems  a  great  pleasure  to 
have  a  secret  along  with  you.  But,  papa,  why 
did  you  write — after  I  had  confessed  it  all  to 
you — as  if  you  were  so  much  displeased  with  me 
that  you  couldn't  let  me  stay  any  longer  at  Ion 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  241 

after  you  had  found  another  place  to  put  me  ?  " 

"  My  child,  as  I  had  put  you  under  Grandpa 
Dinsmore's  care,  it  was  your  duty  to  submit  to 
his  orders  till  I  could  be  heard  from  in  regard  to 
the  matter.  You  should  therefore  have  gone 
back,  not  only  to  the  school,  but  to  the  music 
teacher,  when  he  directed  you  to  do  so  ;  you 
were  disobeying  me  in  refusing,  and  also  show 
ing  great  ingratitude  to  the  kind  friends  who 
were  doing  so  much  for  you  without  your  hav 
ing  the  slightest  claim  upon  them. " 

"Papa,  I  am  very  sorry  and  ashamed,"  she 
murmured  low  and  tremulously,  hanging  her 
iieau  and  blushing  deeply  as  she  spoke  ;  "  I  al 
most  want  you  to  punish  me  well  for  it  yet." 

"  No,  daughter,  that  account  was  settled  long 
ago,"  he  said  in  kindly,  reassuring  accents, 
"  fully  settled,  and  I  have  no  desire  to  open  it 
again." 

"But,  oh,  papa,"  she  sighed,  "sometimes  I 
do  feel  so  afraid  I  may  get  into  a  passion  with 
somebody  about  something  while  we're  here 
this  winter,  with  all  the  Ion  folks,  that — that  I 
believe  I  want  you  to  say  you  will  punish  me 
very  severely  if  I  do." 

"  My  daughter,"  he  said,  "  I  want  you  to 
avoid  sin  and  strive  to  do  right,  not  from  fear 
of  punishment,  but  that  you  may  please  and 
honor  him  whose  disciple  you  hope  you  are." 

"  Oh,  yes,  papa,  I  do  want  to  for  that  reason) 


242  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

and  also  to  please  and  honor  you — the  best  and 
dearest  father  in  the  world  ! "  she  concluded, 
putting  her  arms  round  his  neck  and  laying 
her  cheek  lovingly  to  his.  "  But  you  will  watch 
me  and  warn  me  and  try  to  keep  me  from 
yielding  to  my  dreadful  temper  ?  " 

"  Yes,  dear  child,  I  will,  as  I  have  promised 
you  again  and  again,  do  all  I  can  to  help  you 
in  that  way,"  he  replied  in  tenderest  tones. 

Then,  as  the  carriage-wheels  were  heard  on 
the  drive  without,  "  Ah,  your  mamma  and  our 
little  ones  have  returned,"  he  said,  putting  her 
off  his  knee  ;  and  taking  her  hand  led  her  out 
to  the  veranda  to  meet  and  welcome  them 
home. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

**HAD  you  a  call  from  Professor  Mantot 
Levis  ?  "  asked  Violet,  as  they  sat  together  on 
the  veranda  that  evening.  "  I  thought  so  be 
cause  he  passed  us  as  we  were  coming  home 
and  was  looking  very  glum." 

"Yes,  he  was  here  this  afternoon,"  replied 
die  captain. 

"  In  search  of  pupils,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  and  was  rather  disappointed  to  learn 
that  I  had  none  for  him.  He  asked  about  Rosie 
and  Walter,  but  I  was  unable  to  tell  him  posi 
tively  whether  they  would,  or  would  not,  be  sent 
to  him  ;  though  I  gave  him  but  little  encourage 
ment,  perhaps  I  should  say  none  at  all,  to  ex 
pect  them." 

"  No  ;  I  am  nearly  certain  they  will  not  be 
•willing  to  go  to  him,  and  that  mamma  will  not 
oare  to  send  them  ;  indeed  she  more  than  hinted 
that  she  would  be  delighted  to  commit  them  to 
your  care  should  you  show  yourself  willing  to 
undertake  the  task  of  instructing  them.  Are 
you  willing  ?  " 

"I  am  hardly  prepared  to  answer  that  ques 
tion,  my  dear,"  he  replied  thoughtfully.  "  They 


844  ELSIE'S   VACATION 

might  not  be  willing  to  submit  to  the  authority 
of  a  brother-in-law." 

"  I  am  almost  sure  you  would  have  no  trouble 
in  governing  them,"  returned  Violet. 

"I  don't  believe  you  would  have  any  at  all, 
papa,"  remarked  Lulu,  who  was  leaning  on  the 
arm  of  his  chair  and  listening  with  much  in 
terest  to  the  conversation  ;  "neither  of  them 
is  half  so — so  wilful  and  quick-tempered  as  I 
am." 

The  captain  smiled  at  that,  put  an  arm  about 
her,  and  drew  her  closer  to  him.  *'  But  they 
don't  belong  to  me  as  you  do,"  he  said,  touch- 
ing  his  lips  to  her  cheek.  "  You  are  my  very 
own,  own  little  daughter,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  and  so  glad  to  be,"  she  returned, 
putting  her  arm  round  his  neck  and  gazing  into 
his  eyes,  her  own  shining  with  filial  love. 

The  younger  ones  were  already  in  bed,  even 
Gracie  having  felt  too  much  fatigued  with  the 
duties  and  pleasures  of  the  day  to  wait  for  even 
ing  prayers. 

"Yes,  I  think  you  may  esteem  yourself  a 
fortunate  child  in  that  respect,  Lu,"  said  Violet. 
"  I  really  believe  it  is  the  next  best  thing  to  be 
ing  his  wife,"  she  added,  with  a  pleasant  little 
laugh. 

"  I  think  it's  the  very  best  thing,  Mamma  Vi," 
returned  Lulu. 

"  Well,  to  go  back  to  the  original  topic  of 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  245 

discourse,  Levis — or  at  least  to  the  question 
whether  you  are  willing  to  undertake  the  tuition 
of  my  young  sister  and  brother,"  Violet  went 
on.  "  I  feel  certain  they  would  give  you  no 
trouble  in  governing  them ;  also  that  your  talent 
for  teaching  is  such  that  they  could  not  fail  to 
greatly  improve  under  your  tuition." 

"  But  might  not  your  grandpa  feel  that  I  was 
interfering  with  him?"  queried  the  captain. 

"  Oh,  no,  indeed  !  Grandpa  feels  that  he  is 
growing  .old,  and  has  done  enough  of  that  kind 
of  work.  And  you  would  be  glad  to  please 
mamma  ?  " 

"  Most  certainly  ;  I  could  refuse  her  nothing— 
the  poor,  dear  woman  !  " 

"  Then  we  may  consider  it  settled  ?  Oh, 
thank  you,  my  dear." 

"  Well,  yes  ;  I  suppose  so.  Are  you  willing 
to  share  your  teacher  with  Rosie  and  Walter, 
daughter  mine?"  he  asked,  softly  stroking 
Lulu's  hair. 

"  My  teacher,  but  not  my  father,  you  dear 
papa,"  returned  Lulu,  patting  his  cheek,  then 
holding  up  her  face  for  a  kiss,  which  he  gave 
heartily  and  repeated  move  than  once. 

"  What  do  you  think,  Mamma  Vi,  of  your 
husband  having  an  amanuensis  ?"  he  continued, 
affectionately  squeezing  Lulu's  hand,  which  he 
had  taken  in  his.  "  My  correspondence  was  dis» 
posed  of  to-day  with  most  unusual  and 


446  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

pected  ease.  I  would  read  a  letter,  tell  my 
amanuensis  the  reply  I  wished  to  make,  and  she 
would  write  it  off  on  the  typewriter  while  I  ex 
amined  the  next  epistle,  asking  few  directions 
and  making  scarcely  any  mistakes." 

"  Lulu  did  it  ?  "  Violet  exclaimed  in  surprise 
"Why,   Lu,   I    am    both   astonished    and   de 
lighted  !  " 

"  Thank  you,  Mamma  Vi ;  and  I  am  veiy 
glad  that  I  can  help  my  dear,  kind  father,  who 
does  so  much  for  me,"  Lulu  answered,  putting 
her  arm  round  his  neck,  and  laying  her  cheek  to 
his.  "  Oh,  I  couldn't  possibly  do  half  enough 
for  him  !  but  I  hope  I  may  be  of  a  great  deal  of 
use  to  him  some  of  these  days." 

"  You  are  that  already,  dear  child,"  he  said  ; 
"  so  useful  and  so  dear  that  your  father  would 
not  know  how  to  do  without  you." 

"  How  good  in  you  to  say  that,  dear  papa ; 
but  I  am  sure  it  would  be  ten  times  worse  for  me 
to  be  without  you,"  she  returned.  "  Oh,  I'm 
glad  I'm  not  a  boy,  to  have  to  go  away  from 
you." 

"I  am  glad  too,"  he  responded;  "glad  that 
Bay  children  are  neither  all  boys  nor  all  girls.  It 
is  quite  delightful,  I  think,  to  have  some  of  each." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  I  think  it's  delightful  to 
have  both  brothers  and  sisters  when  they  are  of 
as  good  a  sort  as  mine  are,  though  I've  seen 
some  I'd  be  sorry  to  have." 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  247 

*  As  I  have  seen  some  children  that  I  should 
be  sorry,  I  think,  to  call  my  own.  Yet  if  they 
were  mine  I  would  probably  love  them  dearly, 
and  perhaps  not  see  their  faults  ;  or  rather  love 
them  in  spite  of  their  naughtiness." 

"  Just  as  you  do  me,  papa,"  she  said,  a  little 
sadly.  "  Haven't  you  always  loved  me,  though 
I've  sometimes  been  very,  very  naughty  in 
deed  ?  " 

"  Yes,  always,"  he  said,  holding  her  close,  as 
something  very  dear  and  precious.  "  And  I  be* 
lieve  my  little  girl  has  always  loved  me  even 
when  I  have  been  quite  severe  in  the  punish 
ment  of  her  faults." 

"  Yes  ;  oh,  yes,  indeed,  papa  !  because  I  have 
always  felt  that  I  deserved  it  ;  often  a  much 
more  severe  punishment  than  you  inflicted ; 
and  that  you  didn't  do  it  because  you  liked  to, 
but  because  you  wanted  to  make  me  good." 

"  And  happy,"  he  added.  "  I  think  you  are 
never  happy  when  disobedient,  wilful,  or  ill- 
tempered." 

"  No,  indeed,  papa  !  and  I'm  thankful  to  you 
that  you  have  never  indulged  me  in  those 
things." 

"  And  I  think,  with  Lu,  that  you  are  one  of 
the  best  of  fathers,  Levis,"  remarked  Violet. 

"  It  is  certainly  very  pleasant  to  be  so  highly 
esteemed  by  one's  wife  and  daughter,  whether 
deserving  of  it  or  not,"  he  said,  with  a  pleased 


243  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

little  laugh  ;  "  yet  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that  such 
flattery  is  quite  good  for  me." 

"  I  don't  believe  any  amount  of  praise  could 
ever  !hurt  you,  papa,"  Lulu  said,  with  a  look 
into  his  eyes  of  ardent  love  and  reverence  ; 
"you  do  seem  to  me  to  be  just  perfect  ;  never 
doing  or  saying  anything  wrong." 

"  I  think  it  must  be  my  little  girl's  great  love 
for  her  father  that  makes  her  so  blind  to  his 
faults  and  failings,"  he  replied,  in  low,  tender 
tones. 

"  A  blindness  certainly  shared  by  your  wife," 
remarked  Violet  lightly.  "  We  have  been  mar 
ried  five  years  and  I  have  yet  to  hear  the  first 
unkind  word  from  my  husband's  lips." 

"  He  would  be  an  exceedingly  unreasonable 
man  who  could  find  fault  with  such  a  wife  as 
mine,"  was  his  smiling  rejoinder. 

"  But  to  change  the  subject,  I  suppose  we 
may  look  for  the  rest  of  our  party  about  the 
last  of  next  week  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  think  so." 

"  I  shall  be  ever  so  glad  to  see  them — espe 
cially  dear  Grandma  Elsie  and  Rosie  and  Walter; 
but  oh,  I  wish  the  Fairview  folks  were  coming, 
especially  Eva,"  remarked  Lulu,  ending  with  a 
sigh  of  regret. 

"Ah,  well,  daughter,  perhaps  Evelyn  may  be 
here  before  the  winter  is  over,"  the  captain  said, 
exchanging  a  slightly  amused  glance  with  Violet. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  249 

*  Oh,  I  hope  so  ! "  exclaimed  Lulu  ;  "  but  of 
«ourse  one  can't  expect  to  have  everything  one 
wants  in  this  world." 

"  No,  certainly  not,"  her  father  said ;  "  it 
would  be  by  no  means  good  for  us  if  we  could." 

"  Not  for  me,  I  know  ;  but  oh,  I  have  a  great, 
great  many  blessings — health  and  strength  and 
such  a  dear  kind  father  to  love  me,  provide  for 
me,  teach  me,  and  train  me  up  in  the  way  I 
should  go,"  she  concluded,  with  a  smiling  look 
up  into  his  eyes. 

"  That  is  what  I  am  trying  to  do,  at  all 
events,"  he  returned,  holding  her  close,  "  though 
I  sometimes  fear  I  may  not  always  have  taken 
the  wisest  way." 

"  Is  it  because  you  have  succeeded  so  poorly 
that  you  fear  so,  papa  ? "  she  asked.  "  If  so, 
don't  be  troubled  about  it,  because  I  don't 
believe  it's  from  any  mistake  of  yours,  but  only 
that  I'm  so  very  naughty  and  unmanageable.'* 

"  Really,  now,  Lu,  I  think  your  father  has  suc 
ceeded  fairly  well  at  the  business,"  laughed  Vio 
let.  "  I  doubt  if  anybody  else  would  have  done 
better." 

"Or  half  so  well," said  Lulu;  "  and  I  am  fully 
resolved  to  try  to  do  credit  to  his  training." 

"  I  think  you  had  a  letter  from  Max  to-day, 
Levis?"  remarked  Violet  inquiringly.  "Dear 
fellow,  I  hope  he  was  quite  well  at  the  time  of 
writing  ?  " 


250  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  Yes ;  and  apparently  in  excellent  spirits. 
He  seems  to  be  doing  well  in  his  studies  ;  con 
tent  with  things  as  they  are  too,  though  evi 
dently  feeling  that  he  would  greatly  enjoy 
being  here  with  the  rest  of  us." 

"  Yes,  poor,  dear  fellow  1  I  wish  he  could 
make  one  of  our  party  ;  especially  at  Christmas 
time." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  his  father.  "  We  must  make 
it  up  to  him  with  as  full  an  account  as  possible 
of  the  Christmas  doings  here." 

"  I  wonder  what  they  will  be,"  said  Lulu. 

"  We  will  have  to  consider  and  decide  that 
question — to  some  extent,  at  least — after  mamma 
comes,"  replied  Violet. 

"  And  now  we  must  go  in  and  have  prayers  ; 
for  it  is  near  bedtime  for  my  eldest  daughter," 
remarked  the  captain,  rising  and  taking  Lulu's 
hand  in  his. 

The  days  flew  by  on  swift  wings,  even  to  Lulu 
and  Grace,  so  filled  were  they  with  duties  and 
pleasures,  and  at  length  the  time  had  come  when 
Grandma  Elsie  and  the  others  were  expected  by 
the  evening  boat. 

Their  arrival  was  anticipated  with  great  de 
light  by  every  one  on  the  estate,  and  all  possible 
preparations  had  been  made  for  their  comfort 
and  to  show  how  gladly  welcome  they  were. 
Everything  indoors  and  out  was  in  beautiful 
order,  a  feast  of  fat  things  ready  in  the  kitchen, 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  25J 

Hie  families  from  the  parsonage  and  Magnolia 
Hall  were  present  by  invitation,  and  as  the  hour 
drew  near  when  the  boat  might  be  expected,  all 
gathered  at  the  wharf  and  eagerly  watched  fof 
its  appearance. 

At  length  their  patience  was  rewarded ;  tht 
little  steamer  appeared  in  sight  far  down  the 
bayou,  came  puffing  along  past  the  orange 
orchard,  and  rounded  to  at  the  landing. 

In  another  moment  the  travelers  were  OB 
shore  :  Mr.-  and  Mrs.  Dinsmore,  Grandma  Elsie, 
Rosiev  Walter,  and — could  Lulu  believe  her 
eyes — yes,  there  was  Evelyn  !  It  could  be  no 
one  else ;  and  with  a  cry  of  joy  the  two  little 
girls  ran  into  each  other's  arms. 

"  Oh,  Eva,  Eva,  I'm  so  glad  !  I  [hadn't  the 
least  idea  that  you  were  coming  too  I "  cried 
Lulu,  fairly  wild  with  delight. 

"  Ah,  papa,  you  must  have  known  and  kept  it 
a  secret  from  me  to  give  me  such  a  glad  sur 
prise,"  she  exclaimed,  as  she  caught  sight  of  his 
face  and  noted  the  pleased  smile  with  which  ho 
was  regarding  her. 

"  Yes,  daughter,  I  knew  and  planned,  with 
Mamma  Vi  and  the  others,  to  give  you  this 
pleasant  surprise,"  he  said,  bending  down  to 
bestow  a  paternal  kiss  upon  the  gentle,  father 
less  girl  who  had  won  so  large  a  place  in  the 
heart  of  his  own  dear  child. 

"And  we  were  all  very  glad  to  have  Eva 


€52  ELSIE'S   VACATION 

along,"  Rosie  said.  w  And,  O  Lu,  I'm  looking 
for  very  good  times  this  coming  winter  here  in 
our  lovely  Viamede,  and  with  your  father  here 
I  know  it  will  be  pleasanter  than  ever  for  you — 
pleasanter  for  all  of  us ;  for,  Brother  Levis,  I 
hear  that  I  am  to  be  your  pupil  instead  of  Pro 
fessor  Manton's  ;  a  change  which  I  haven't  a 
doubt  I  shall  enjoy  extremely." 

"Ah,  don't  be  too  sure  of  that,  little  sister," 
he  returned  laughingly,  giving  a  welcoming 
embrace  to  her  also.  "  I  am  a  very  strict  dis 
ciplinarian,  as  Lulu  here  can  testify,"  laying  a 
hand  affectionately  on  his  daughter's  shoulder. 

"  Yes,  Rosie,  papa  is  strict,  but  if  one  does 
exactly  as  he  orders,  he's  kind  as  kind  can  be  ; 
and  maybe  he  wouldn't  be  quite  so  stern  and 
strict  with  other  folks'  children  as  he  is  with  me 
—his  very  own,  you  know." 

But  a  reply  from  Rosie  was  prevented  by 
Violet  catching  her  in  her  arms,  saying,  "  You 
dear  child,  how  glad  I  am  to  have  you  here  at 
last !  We  have  all  been  looking  forward  to  your 
coming  as  well  as  to  that  of  dear,  darling 
mamma,  grandpa,  and  the  others." 

At  the  same  time  Grandma  Elsie  was  embrac 
ing  Lulu  most  affectionately,  saying  how  well 
she  looked,  and  hoping  that  she  and  Grace,  as 
well  as  the  older  people,  had  been  enjoying 
Viamede. 

"  Indeed  we  have,  dear  Grandma  Elsie,"  re. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  253 

piled  Lulu.  "  Oh,  it  was  so  good  and  kind  in 
you  to  invite  us  all  to  spend  the  winter  in  this 
loveliest  of  lovely  places  ! " 

"  Good  to  myself,  dear  child,  quite  as  much  as 
to  you  ;  for  I  love  to  have  you  all  about  me." 

"And  I  hope  you  are  better?  A  great  deal 
better  ?  "  returned  Lulu,  with  an  inquiring  look 
into  the  sweet  face. 

"Very  much  better,  thank  you,  dear  child. 
Almost  my  old  self  again,"  was  the  sweet-toned 
reply. 

Some  few  moments  more  were  spent  in  the 
exchange  of  glad,  affectionate  greetings  and  in- 
quiries  after  each  other's  health  and  welfare, 
then  all  took  their  way  to  the  house  ;  even 
Grandma  Elsie  claiming  that  her  strength  was 
quite  equal  to  so  short  a  walk,  the  journey  on 
the  boat  having  been  restful  rather  than  fatigue- 
ing.  Yet  it  was  evident  to  all  that  she  was  far 
from  strong,  and  they  joined  Mr.  Dinsmore  in 
an  urgent  entreaty  that  she  would  retire  at  an 
early  hour  to  her  own  room  and  bed  ;  which 
she  did,  her  daughters  accompanying  her  to  sea 
that  nothing  was  lacking  that  could  in  any  way 
iaci  to  her  comfort. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  BEIGHT,  beautiful  day  succeeded  that  on 
which  the  Ion  family  had  arrived  at  Viamede. 
The  younger  members  of  their  party  woke 
early,  and  the  sun  was  hardly  more  than  an  hour 
high  when  Evelyn  and  Rosie  passed  down  the 
broad  stairway  into  the  lower  hall,  moving  with 
cautious  tread  lest  they  might  disturb  the  still 
sleeping  older  members  of  the  household. 

But  on  reaching  the  veranda  they  were  sur 
prised  to  see  the  captain  and  Lulu  already  taking 
a  morning  promenade  along  the  bank  of  the 
bayou. 

"Ah,  I  see  there  is  no  getting  ahead  of 
Brother  Levis,"  laughed  Rosie.  "Let  us  run 
down  there  and  join  them,  Eva." 

"  With  all  my  heart."  returned  Evelyn  gayly, 
and  away  they  went,  racing  down  the  broad 
gravelled  walk  in  merry  girlish  fashion. 

'•Good- morning,  little  ladies,  I  see  that  you 
are  early  birds  as  well  as  Lulu  and  myself,"  the 
captain  said,  with  his  genial  smile,  as  they  drew 
near. 

"Yes,  sir,"  returned  Rosie,  catching  hold  of 
Lulu,  and  giving  her  a  heartv  embrace  ?  u>  •* 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  255 

a  meaning  as  this,  and  in  such  a  lovely 
place,  bed  has  no  attractions  to  compare  with 
those  of  out  of  doors." 

"  That's  exactly  what  papa  and  I  think,"  said 
Lulu  ;  "  and,  oh  girls,  I'm  so  glad  you  have  come 
to  share  this  lovely,  lovely  place  with  us.  Eva, 
I  haven't  yet  got  over  the  glad  surprise  of  your 
coming.  I  was  just  saying  to  papa  how  very 
kind  it  was  in  Grandma  Elsie  and  the  rest  of 
them  to  prepare  such  an  unexpected  pleasure  for 
me.  Wasn't  it  good  in  them  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  good  to  us  both  !"  Evelyn  said, 
squeezing  affectionately  the  hand  Lulu  hacl 
slipped  into  hers. 

"  Captain,"  looking  up  smilingly  into  his  face, 
"  are  you  intending  to  be  so  very,  very  kind  aa 
to  take  me  for  one  of  your  pupils  ?  " 

"  Most  assuredly,  my  dear,  if  you  wish  it,* 
he  replied. 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  sir  !  thank  you  very  much 
indeed,  and  I  promise  to  give  you  as  little 
trouble  as  I  possibly  can." 

"I  shall  consider  it  no  trouble  at  ail,  my  dear 
child,"  he  returned,  giving  her  a  fatherly  smile. 
"  Indeed,  I  think  the  favor  will  be  on  your  side, 
as  doubtless  Lulu  will  improve  all  the  faster  for 
your  companionship  in  her  studies.  Rosie,, 
being  older  than  either  of  you,  will,  I  fear,  have 
to  be  quite  alone  in  most  of  hers." 

"  Yes,  Brother  Levis,  and  as  I  am  to  be  such 


S56  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

A  lonely,  forlorn  creature  you  ought  to  be  ex« 
tremely  good  to  me,"  remarked  Rosie  demurely. 
"  I  hope  you  will  remember  that  and  try  to  have 
unlimited  patience  with  your  youngest  sister." 
"  Ah  !  my  little  sister  would  better  not  try 
ithe  patience  of  her  big  brother  too  far,"  re- 
tu*,jed  the  captain  with  a  twinkle  of  fun  in  his 


"  I  aare  say  ;  but  he  needn't  thiak  he  can 
make  me  very  much  afraid  of  him,  big  as  he 
is,"  laughed  Rosie. 

"  Perhaps,  though,  it  might  turn  out  to  the 
idvantage  of  Professor  Manton,  should  my 
/oungest  sister  prove  quite  beyond  the  manage 
ment  of  her  biggest  and  oldest  brother,"  re 
marked  the  captain,  with  assumed  gravity. 

"There  !"  exclaimed  Rosie,  "  that's  the  worst 
threat  you  could  possibly  have  made.  I  think 
I'll  try  to  be  at  least  passably  good  and 
obedient  in  the  schoolroom.  You  needn't  look 
for  it  in  any  other  place.  Captain  Raymond," 
making  him  a  deep  courtesy;  then  dancing 
gayjy  away. 

"Don't  yon  envy  her  that  it  is  only  in  the 
schoolroom  she  must  be  obedient  to  me,  whom 
you  have  to  obey  all  the  time  ?  "  asked  the 
captain  laughingly  of  Lulu,  noticing  that  she 
was  watching  Rosie  with  a  hurt,  almost  indig 
nant  look  on  her  expressive  features. 
-  "No,  indeed,  papa!  I'm  only  too  glad  that  I 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  257 

belong  to  you  everywhere  and  all  the  time," 
fihe  answered,  lifting  to  his  face  eyes  full  of 
filial  respect  and  ardent  affection. 

"So  am  I,"  he  returned,  pressing  tenderly  the 
hand  she  had  again  slipped  into  his.  "  But  you 
must  not  be  vexed  with  Rosie.  Could  you  not 
see  that  all  she  said  just  now  was  in  sportive 
jest  ?  " 

"  I'm  glad  if  she  didn't  mean  it,  papa  ;  but  I 
don't  like  such  things  said  to  my  dear,  honored 
father  even  in  jest." 

"But  you  must  excuse  Rosie,  Lu,  dear,"  said 
Evelyn.  "  It  was  indeed  all  in  jest,  for  I  know 
that  she  feels  the  very  highest  respect  for  your 
father — her  biggest  brother  ;  as  we  all  do." 

Lulu's  brow  cleared.  "  Well,  then,  I  won't 
mind  it,  papa,  if  you  don't,"  she  said. 

"  And  I  certainly  do  not,  daughter,"  he  re 
turned  pleasantly.  "Rosie  and  I  are  the  best 
ov  friends,  and  I  think  will  continue  to  be  such." 

It  was  a  gay,  light-hearted  party  that  met 
at  the  Viamede  breakfast-table  that  morning. 
Even  their  loved  invalid,  Grandma  Elsie,  was 
looking  wonderfully  bright  and  well  ;  yet,  as 
she  laughingly  averred,  everybody  seemed  de« 
termined  to  consider  her  as  ill  and  unable  to 
make  any  exertion. 

"  I  shall  have  to  let  you  continue  to  take  the 
role  of  mistress  of  the  establishment,  Vi,"  she 
said,  with  a  pleasant  smile,  as,  resigning  to  her 


258  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

daughter  her  accustomed  seat  at  the  head  of  the 
table,  she  took  possession  of  one  at  the  side. 

"  Not  that  I  am  of  so  humble  a  spirit  as 
to  consider  myself  unfitted  for  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  of  the  position,  but  because  older 
and  wiser  people  do." 

"  I  really  think  Vi  makes  as  good  a  substitute 
as  could  well  be  found,  mother,"  remarked  the 
captain,  with  a  proudly  affectionate  glance  at 
his  lovely  young  wife. 

"  In  which  I  entirely  agree  with  you,  sir," 
said  Mr.  Dinsmore. 

The  meal  was  partaken  of  with  appetite,  and 
enlivened  by  cheery  talk  ;  a  good  deal  of  it  in 
regard  to  pleasures  and  amusements  attainable 
in  that  locality  ;  riding,  driving,  boating,  fish 
ing  ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  pleasant  rambles 
that  could  be  taken  on  and  beyond  the  estate. 

There  was  no  lack  of  carriages  for  driving,  or 
horses  to  draw  them,  or  for  those  to  ride  who 
might  prefer  that  mode  of  locomotion. 

The  final  decision  was  in  favor  of  a  drive  for 
Mrs.  Dinsmore,  Violet,  her  little  ones,  and  Grace, 
accompanied  by  the  rest  of  the  party  on  horse 
back. 

Breakfast  and  family  prayers  over,  the  young 
girls  hastened  to  their  rooms  to  prepare  for  the 
little  excursion,  all  seemingly  in  the  gayest  epir- 
its  at  the  pleasing  prospect ;  none  nwwe  BO  than 
merry,  excitable  Lul  i. 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  259 

She  and  Grace  were  ready  a  little  sooner  than 
either  of  the  other  girls,  and  went  down  to  the 
veranda  to  wait  there  for  the  rest. 

As  they  did  so  a  servant  passed  them  with 
the  bag  containing  the  morning  mail,  which 
he  had  just  Drought  from  the  nearest  post- 
office. 

He  carried  it  to  the  library,  where  Mr.  Dins- 
more  and  the  captain  were  seated,  awaiting  the 
appearance  of  the  ladies,  carriages,  and  horses. 

As  if  -struck  by  a  sudden  thought,  Lulu  ran 
after  him.  She  saw  her  father  take  the  bag, 
open  it,  hand  several  letters  to  Mr.  Dinsmore, 
select  several  others  and  give  them  to  the  ser 
vant  (with  directions  to  carry  them  up  to  the 
ladies),  then  lay  a  pretty  large  pile  on  the  table, 
take  up  one,  and  open  it. 

"  There,  those  are  papa's  own,"  she  said  to 
herself,  "  and  what  a  number  he  has  ! — all  to  be 
answered,  too.  I  don't  believe  he'll  take  time  to 
ride  this  morning  ;  he's  always  so  prompt  about 
replying  to  a  letter.  Oh,  dear,  I  don't  want  to 
go  without  him,  and  I  just  wish  they  hadn't 
eome  till  to-morrow." 

She  walked  slowly  out  to  the  veranda  again, 

Rosie  and  Evelyn  had  not  yet  made  their  ap 
pearance,  and  Grace  was  romping  about  with  lit 
tle  Elsie  and  Ned. 

Just  then  a  servant  man  came  round  from  the 
stables,  leading  the  ponies  the  little  girls  were  to 


260  ELSIE'S  VACATION-. 

ride,  and  at  sight  of  them  Lulu  seemed  to  take 
a  sudden  resolution. 

"  Oh,  Solon,"  she  said,  hurrying  toward  the 
man,  "  you  can  put  my  pony  back  into  the  sta 
ble  ;  I'm  not  going  to  ride  this  morning ;  I've 
changed  my  mind  ;  and  if  anybody  asks  about 
me,  you  can  tell  them  so,"  and  with  that  she 
ran  away  round  the  house  and  seated  herself 
on  the  back  veranda,  where  she  had  been 
when  Professor  Manton  made  his  call  upon 
the  captain. 

Presently  she  heard  the  ladies  and  young 
girls  come  down  the  stairs,  her  father  and  Mr. 
Dinsmore  come  out  from  the  library  and  assist 
the  older  ones  into  the  carriage,  the  younger 
to  mount  their  ponies  ;  then  her  father's  voice 
asking,  "  Where  is  Lulu  ?  "  and  the  servant's 
reply,  "  Miss  Lu,  she  tole  me,  sah,  to  tell  you 
she  doan  want  fo'  to  ride  dis  heah  mornin', 
sah  "  ;  then  her  father's  surprised,  "  She  did, 
Solon?  Why,  that  is  a  sudden  change  on  her 
part.  I  thought  she  was  quite  delighted  at  the 
prospect  of  going. 

"  Violet,  my  dear,  I  find  I  have  so  many  let 
ters  calling  for  reply  this  morning,  that  I,  too, 
must  remain  at  home." 

Some  exclamations  of  surprise  and  regret 
from  the  others  followed  ;  then  the  sound  of 
hoofs  and  wheels  told  that  the  party  had  set  out 
on  their  little  excursion,  and  the  captain's  step 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  261 

was  heard  in  the  hall  as  he  returned  to  the 
library. 

But  a  thought  seemed  to  strike  him  as  he 
reached  its  door,  and  he  paused,  calling  aloud, 
"  Lulu  !  Lulu  !  " 

She  ran  to  him  at  once,  answering,  "Here  I 
am,  papa." 

"  Why,  daughter,  what  is  the  meaning  of 
this  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Why  did  you  not  go  with 
the  others  ?  " 

"  Because  I  preferred  to  stay  at  home  with 
my  dear  father  ;  and  I  hope  he  isn't  displeased 
with  me  for  it  !  "  she  replied,  looking  up  coax- 
ingly,  smilingly,  into  his  face. 

"  Displeased  with  you,  dear  child  ?  I  am  only 
too  glad  to  have  you  by  my  side  ;  except  that  I 
feel  sorry  on  your  own  account  that  you  should 
miss  the  pleasant,  healthful  trip  along  with  the 
others,"  he  said,  bestowing  upon  her  a  fond 
caress. 

"  But  how  did  you  know  that  I  was  going  to 
stay  at  home  ?  "  he  asked,  as  he  led  her  in  and 
Bat  down,  drawing  her  to  a  seat  upon  his  knee. 

"  Because  I'm  enough  of  a  Yankee  to  be  good 
at  guessing,  I  suppose,  papa,"  she  answered, 
with  a  merry  laugh,  putting  an  arm  round  his 
neck  and  gazing  into  his  eyes  with  her  own  full 
of  ardent  filial  love.  "  I  saw  that  big  pile  of 
letters,"  pointing  to  them  as  they  lay  on  the 
table,  "  and  I  thought,  '  Now,  if  I  stay  at  home 


262  ELSIE'S   \ 

with  papa,  maybe  he  will  let  me  help  him  as  I 
did  the  other  day.'  So  now  as  I  have  stayed, 
won't  you  be  so  very  good  as  to  let  me,  you 
dear,  dearest  papa  ?" 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  of  both  your  company 
and  your  help,  darling,  though  I  am  sorry  to  have 
you  miss  your  ride  in  order  to  give  them  to  me." 

"  But  you  needn't  be  sorry,  papa,  because  I'm 
ever  so  glad.  I  was  almost  afraid  you  might 
be  displeased  with  me  for  taking  the  liberty  of 
staying  at  home  without  consulting  you  ;  but 
I  don't  believe  you  are  a  bit,"  stroking  his  face 
with  her  little  soft  white  hand,  then  kissing  him 
with  warmth  of  affection. 

"  I  am  so  much  displeased,  that  as  a  punish 
ment  you  will  have  to  write  several  letters  on 
your  machine  at  my  dictation,"  he  replied,  with 
playful  look  and  tone.  "  We  will  set  to  work 
at  once,"  he  added,  putting  her  off  his  knee, 
taking  the  cover  from  her  typewriter,  and  plac 
ing  a  chair  before  it  for  her  to  sit  upon,  then 
laying  a  pile  of  paper  and  envelopes  within  easy 
reach  of  her  hand. 

"  Ah,  papa,  I  don't  care  how  often  you  punish 
me  in  this  way  !  "  she  exclaimed,  with  a  merry 
laugh,  as  she  took  her  seat. 

"  Tut !  tut !  don't  talk  as  if  my  punishment 
were  nothing,"  he  replied,  in  pretended  displeas 
ure.  "  You  may  get  more  of  this  kind  some  of 
these  days  than  you  will  like." 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  26? 

*Not  while  it's  a  help  to  my  dear  father,"  she 
returned,  smiling  up  at  him. 

"  You  find  that  a  pleasure,  do  you  ?"he  asked, 
with  tender  look  and  tone,  laying  a  hand  caress 
ingly  on  her  head  and  gazing  fondly  down  into 
her  eyes. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  sir !  O  papa,  I  just  long 
to  be  a  real  help  and  comfort  and  blessing 
to  you  ;  and  I  do  hope  that  some  day  I  may 
be." 

"My  .own  dear  little  daughter,  you  are 
already  all  three  to  me,"  he  said  with  emo 
tion.  "  Truly,  I  think  no  man  ever  had  a  more 
lovable  child,  or  a  more  grateful  and  appre 
ciative  one." 

Those  words  sent  a  thrill  of  exquisite  delight 
to  Lulu's  heart.  "  Dear  papa,  you  are  so  kind 
to  tell  me  that ! "  she  said.  "  Oh,  I  do  want 
always  to  be  all  that  to  you  !  " 

"  And  it  is  certainly  my  ardent  desire  to  be 
the  best  of  fathers  to  my  dear  eldest  daughter, 
and  all  my  children,"  he  responded. 

"  But  now  let  us  set  to  work  upon  this  corre 
spondence." 

For  the  next  hour  and  more  they  were  very 
busy  ;  then,  every  letter  having  been  replied  to, 
the  captain  went  out  to  a  distant  part  of  the 
plantation  to  see  how  work  was  progressing 
there,  taking  Lulu  along. 

Their  way  led  them  through  the  orange  or- 


£64  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

chard,  and  both  father  and  daughter  found  it  a 
delightful  walk. 

They  reached  the  house  again  just  in  time  to 
receive  the  others  on  their  return  from  their 
little  excursion,  and  presently  after,  all  sat 
down  to  dinner. 

On  leaving  the  table  the  little  girls  repaired 
to  the  veranda. 

"  I'm  decidedly  offended  with  you,  Lu,"  said 
Rosie,  in  jesting  tone. 

"  What  for  ?"  asked  Lulu. 

"  For  forsaking  us  as  you  did  this  morning  ; 
and  now  the  least  reparation  you  can  make  is  to 
confess  why  you  did  so.  Do  you  not  agree  with 
me,  Eva  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Evelyn,  "  I  think  she  ought  to 
do  so,  as  the  only  amends  she  can  make.  So, 
Miss  Raymond,  let  us  hear  your  excuse  at  once 
— if  you  have  any." 

"  Well,  then,  I  suppose  I  must,"  said  Lulu. 
"  Please  understand  that  I  would  have  enjoyed 
going  with  you  very  much  indeed,  but  I  saw 
that  papa  had  a  good  many  letters  to  answer 
and  I  wanted  to  help  him  a  great  deal  more 
than  I  did  to  take  a  ride. 

"  He  lets  me  write  some  on  the  typewriter — • 
those,  you  see,  that  don't  require  a  very  particular 
answer — and  he  says  it  shortens  his  work  very 
much.  And,"  she  added  with  a  sigh,  "  I  have 
given  my  dear  father  so  much  trouble  in  past 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  265 

days  by  my  bad  temper  and  wilfulness,  thatlfeel 
I  can  never  do  enough  to  make  up  to  him  for  it." 

"  Dear  Lu,  I  just  love  you  for  feeling  and 
acting  so,"  said  Evelyn  softly,  giving  Lulu's 
hand  an  affectionate  squeeze  as  she  spoke ; 
"and  I  am  sure  your  father  must." 

"  Yes,  he  does  love  me  dearly,  and  you  can't 
think  how  happy  that  makes  me,"  returned 
Lulu,  glad  tears  shining  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,  but  I  think  we 
can,"  said  Rosie,  a  slight  tremble  in  her  voice  ; 
for  she  Lad  not  forgotten  altogether  the  dear 
father  who  had  fondled  and  caressed  her  in  her 
babyhood,  but  had  so  long  since  passed  away  to 
the  better  land. 

But  just  at  that  moment  Violet  drew  near 
with  a  light,  quick  step. 

"  The  boat  is  at  the  landing,  little  girls,"  she 
said,  "and  we  older  folks  want  to  be  off. 
P?ease  put  on  your  hats,  coats  too, — or  carry 
some  kind  of  wrap, — for  the  captain  says  it  may 
be  quite  cool  on  the  water  before  we  return." 

"  A  sunimons  we're  delighted  to  receive,'* 
returned  Rosie,  springing  to  her  feet  and  hurry; 
ing  toward  the  hall  door,  the  others  following, 
all  of  them  in  gay  good  humor. 

No  one  was  missing  from  that  boating  excur 
sion,  and  on  their  return,  a  little  before  tea 
time,  all  spoke  of  having  had  a  most  enjoyable 
afternoon. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

AFTER  tea,  when  all  were  together  upon  the 
front  veranda,  Grandma  Elsie  in  a  reclining 
chair,  the  others  grouped  about  her,  the  talk 
turned  upon  the  approaching  Christmas  and 
how  it  should  be  celebrated — what  gifts  pre 
pared  for  friends  and  servants. 

Various  plans  were  suggested,  various  gifts 
spoken  of,  but  nothing  settled. 

The  little  girls  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
subject,  and  when  they  separated  for  the  night 
each  one's  thoughts  were  full  of  it  ;  Lulu's  per 
haps  even  more  so  than  those  of  any  other,  not 
of  what  she  might  receive,  but  what  she  would 
like  to  give. 

"  Papa,"  she  said,  when  he  came  into  her 
room  to  bid  her  good-night,  "  I  do  so  want  to 
make  some  pretty  things  to  give  at  Christmas 
time.  Please,  won't  you  let  me?"  and  look  and 
tone  were  veiy  coaxing. 

"  My  dear  little  daughter,"  he  replied,  taking 
possession  of  an  easy-chair  and  drawing  her  to 
a  seat  upon  his  knee,  "  it  would  give  me  much 
pleasure  to  indulge  you  in  this,  but  you  have 
lost  a  good  deal  of  time  from  your  studies  of 
late,  and  I  know  very  well  that  to  allow  you  to 

266 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  267 

engage  in  the  manufacture  of  Christmas  gifts 
would  have  the  effect  of  taking  your  mind  off 
your  lessons  in  a  way  to  prevent  you  from 
making  much,  if  any,  progress  with  them." 

"  Then  you  won't  let  me,  papa  ?  " 

"  No,  my  child.  If  you  choose  you  may  use 
your  pocket-money,  and  some  more  that  I  will 
give  you,  to  buy  what  you  please,  that  will  not 
make  any  work  for  you.  Your  studies  must  be 
faithfully  attended  to,  and  the  greater  part  of 
your  remaining  time  I  wish  you  to  spend  in  out- 
of-door  amusements  which  will,  I  hope,  both 
give  you  much  pleasure  and  keep  you  in  vigor 
ous  health. 

"I  could  not  bear  to  see  my  dear  eldest 
daughter  growing  pale  and  thin,  or  failing  to 
improve  her  mind  and  talents  so  that  she  may 
in  due  time  become  a  noble,  useful  woman,  capa 
ble  of  doing  with  her  might  whatever  work  her 
heavenly  Father  may  be  pleased  to  give  her." 

A  wofully  ill-used,  discontented  look  had 
come  over  Lulu's  expressive  countenance  as 
her  father  began  what  he  had  to  say,  but  before 
he  had  finished  it  was  replaced  by  a  much 
sweeter  one  of  contentment  with  his  decision, 
and  confiding  filial  love. 

"  Papa,  dear,  I  did  at  first  very  much  want 
you  to  say  yes  to  my  petition,  but  now  I  see 
that  you  know  best  and  am  quite  content  to 
do  as  you  have  said  you  want  me  to,"  she  re« 


268  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

turned,  putting  her  arm  about  h*s  neck  and 
laying  her  cheek  to  his  in  her  accustomed 
fashion  when  her  heart  was  swelling  with 
daughterly  affection. 

"  My  dear  child,  your  ready  acquiescence  in 
your  father's  decision  makes  you  dearer  than 
ever  to  him,  if  that  be  possible,"  he  said,  hold 
ing  her  close  with  many  a  fond  caress. 

Mean\vhile  Rosie  and  Evelyn,  occupying  ad 
joining  rooms,  were  chatting  gaily  of  what  they 
fchould  make  for  one  and  another  of  those  they 
loved. 

Suddenly  Evelyn  paused,  a  very  thoughtful 
look  overspreading  her  expressive  face. 

"  Well,  what  is  it  ?  "  asked  Rosie  in  a  banter 
ing  tone  ;  and  Evelyn  answered,  "  I  was  just 
thinking  that  all  this,  should  we  undertake  it, 
will  be  apt  to  take  our  minds  from  our  lessons, 
which  are  certainly  of  far  greater  importance." 

"  And  that  Captain  Raymond  may  veto  it  on 
that  account  ?  "  asked  Rosie,  with  a  twinkle  of 
fun  in  her  eye. 

"  Possibly  he  may  ;  and  if  he  does,  I,  for  one, 
shall  certainly  obey  him,"  replied  Evelyn,  speak 
ing  in  a  sober,  earnest  way  that  said  plainly  she 
was  far  from  being  in  jest. 

"  Well,  I  make  no  rash  promises,"  laughed 
Rosie  ;  "  and  I'm  not  very  much  afraid  of  that 
brother-in-law  of  mine,  stern  as  he  can  look 
when  it  suits  him." 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  269 

"But  you  will  want  to  please  your  deal 
mother  ?  "  returned  Evelyn,  in  a  tone  between 
assertion  and  inquiry. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Rosie,  sobering  down  at  once  ? 
"I  could  refuse  nothing  to  dear  mamma.  T 
would  do  anything  and  everything  in  my  powei 
to  add  to  her  happiness.  Oh,  how  glad  and 
thankful  I  am  that  she  has  been  spared  to  us  !  " 

"  I,  too,"  said  Evelyn.  "  I  think  I  could  hardly 
love  her  better  if  she  were  really  my  very  near 
relative." 

A  moment  of  silence  followed,  presently 
broken  by  Rosie.  "  Well,  I  suppose,"  she  said 
with  a  return"to  her  jesting  tone,  "it  may  be 
our  wisest  plan  to  consult  his  lordship — Captain 
Raymond^-in  regard  to  the  matter  just  now 
under  discussion — whether  we — his  prospective 
pupils — may  or  may  not  engage  in  the  work  of 
preparing  Christmas  gifts  for  other  folk." 

"  I,  at  least,  certainly  intend  doing  so,"  replied 
Evelyn.  "Obedience  to  his  wishes — to  say 
nothing  of  orders — it  strikes  me  will  be  the 
very  least  we  can  do  in  return  for  his  great 
kindness  in  taking  the  trouble  to  instruct  us." 

"  There,  you  are  right ! "  said  Rosie.  "  I 
hadn't  thought  of  that  before.  It  is  very  good 
in  him  and  I  shall  really  try  to  show  him  that  I 
am  one  of  the  best  and  most  tractable  of  pupils.'* 

"  Suppose  we  join  him  and  Lu  to-morrow  in 
their  morning  walk,  as  we  did  to-day,  and  then 


270  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

and  there  improve  the  opportunity  to  discuss 
this  momentous  question,"  suggested  Evelyn 
laughingly. 

"  I  am  strongly  in  favor  of  so  doing,  provided 
I  wake  in  season,"  returned  Rosie,  and  with 
that  they  separated  for  the  night. 

They  carried  out  their  plan,  had  a  pleasant 
little  morning  ramble  and  chat  with  the  captain 
and  Lulu,  and  finding  that  such  was  his  wish, 
promised  to  do  but  little  in  the  way  of  making 
Christmas  gifts,  in  order  that  their  time  and 
attention  might  be  the  more  fully  occupied 
with  their  studies,  which  they  were  all  to  take 
up  again  on  the  following  Monday. 

"  And  this  being  Friday,  we  have  only  to-day 
and  to-morrow  for  play.  It  looks  like  rain, 
too,"  sighed  Rosie  disconsolately,  glancing  up 
at  the  sky  as  she  spoke  ;  "  so  we  are  not  likely 
to  have  much  out-of-door  sport." 

"  Ah,  well,  little  sister,  we  must  not  grumble 
about  the  rain,  for  it  is  needed  ;  and  there  are 
the  verandas  for  you  young  folks  to  sport 
upon,"  returned  the  captain. 

"  Besides,  your  big  brother  is  not  intending  to 
be  so  hard  upon  you  as  to  allow  no  diversion 
after  lessons  are  resumed.  I  hope  you  will  all 
have  many  an  hour  for  romping,  riding,  driv 
ing,  boating,  and  walking." 

"  Pleasant  chats,  too,  and  interesting  books  to 
read ;  music,  and  games  besides,"  remarked 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  271 

Evelyn.  "  Oh,  we  are  not  likely  to  suffer  from 
lack  of  diversion  when  we  have  been  good 
and  industrious  enough  to  deserve  it,"  she  added, 
with  a  smiling  look  at  the  captain. 

"As  I  have  little  doubt  that  you  will  be 
always,"  he  returned,  smiling  kindly  upon  her. 

By  the  time  breakfast  and  family  worship 
were  over  a  gentle  rain  was  falling,  and  instead 
of  seeking  out-of-door  amusement,  the  whole 
family  gathered  upon  the  veranda  at  the  front 
of  the  house. 

Just  then  a  pretty  well-filled  mail-bag  made 
its  appearance,  and  presently  nearly  everybody 
had  one  or  more  letters  in  hand. 

Noticing  that  her  father  had  several,  Lulu 
presently  drew  near  him  and  asked,  "Mayn't 
I  help  you  answer  those,  papa  ?  " 

"  Thank  you,  dear  child,"  he  returned,  smiling 
fondly  upon  her,  "you  may  if  you  wish,  but  I 
have  plenty  of  time  to  do  the  work  myself  thia 
morning,  and  would  be  sorry  to  deprive  you  of 
the  pleasure  you  might  be  taking  with  you? 
mates." 

"I'll  have  time  enough  for  that  afterward, 
papa,  and  would  very  much  rather  do  a  little  to 
help  you — if  it  will  be  a  help,  instead  of  a 
trouble  to  you  to  have  me  use  my  machine  in 
that  way,"  she  said,  with  a  look  up  into  his  eyes 
that  showed  plainly  how  anxious  she  was  to 
Jiave  her  offer  accepted. 


£72  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"Then  you  shall,  my  darling,"  he  returned, 
and  taking  her  hand  led  her  into  the  library, 
seated  her  before  her  typewriter,  supplied  pa 
per  and  envelopes,  and  began  dictating  to  her 
as  on  the  two  former  occasions. 

"  It  grieves  me  to  rob  my  dear  little  girl  of 
any  of  her  holiday  time,"  he  remarked,  as  the 
first  letter  was  completed,  laying  his  hand 
caressingly  on  her  head.  "Your  father  loves 
to  see  you  enjoying  yourself." 

"  Yes,  dear  papa,  I  know  that,"  she  replied, 
with  a  pleased  loving  look  up  into  his  face, 
"but  there  is  nothing  I  enjoy  more  than  feeling 
that  I  can  be  of  a  little  help  and  comfort  to 
you." 

"  Well,  it  will  not  take  us  long  to  answer 
these  letters — there  are  but  few  to-day — and 
perhaps  you  may  enjoy  your  sports  all  the  more 
afterward,"  he  replied,  handing  her  a  fresh 
sheet  of  paper. 

"  This,  from  our  dear  Max,  is  the  only  one  left 
now,"  he  remarked  presently  ;  "  and  he,  I  know, 
would  rather  have  his  reply  in  papa's  own 
handwriting  \  but  shall  I  read  this  to  yon, 
daughter?" 

"  Oh,  I  should  like  to  hear  it,  papa ! "  was 
her  eager  response.  "  Please,  may  I  sit  on 
your  knee  while  I  listen?" 

"  Indeed  you  may,"  he  answered,  drawing 
her  to  the  eovett*!  seat  and  putting  his  arm 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  273 

about  her  waist.  "  Maxie  does  write  such  good, 
interesting  letters,  and  I'm  so  much  obliged  to 
you  for  reading  this  one  to  me,  papa,"  she  said, 
when  he  had  finished. 

"  You  are  very  welcome,  daughter  ;  anel  now 
you  may  go  back  to  your  mates  while  I  write 
my  reply." 

On  the  veranda  family  letters  had  been  read 
and  discussed,  meanwhile,  and  when  Lulu  joined 
the  group  they  were  again  talking  of  the  ap» 
preaching  Christmas  and  what  gifts  should  be 
prepared  for  relatives,  near  and  dear  friends, 
and  servants. 

Grandma  Elsie,  seated  in  their  midst,  was 
'Coking  quite  her  old  self — very  bright,  beauti« 
tiful,  and  sweet. 

"  With  the  housekeeping  given  in  charge  to 
Vi,"  she  was  saying,  as  Lulu  drew  near,  "I 
shall  have  abundance  of  spare  time  and  hope  to 
prepare  many  gifts  for " 

"  No,"  interrupted  her  father,  "  you  are  to  do 
nothing  of  the  kind  ;  but  must  devote  yourself 
to  the  business  of  gaining  strength  as  fast  as 
possible." 

She  laughed  pleasantly  at  that,  saying,  "  My 
vacation  has  been  a  long  one  already,  papa,  for 
I  have  really  done  nothing  worth  speaking  of 
since  we  returned  home  from  the  North." 

"And  what  of  that,  daughter?"  he  re« 
eponded.  "You  have  never  been  an  idler,  but 


274  ELSIE'S   VACATION". 

it  seems  to  be  time  now  for  you  to  begin.  Let 
your  vacation  go  on  till  next  spring.  That  is 
my  prescription  for  you." 

"  Ah,  ha,  mamma  !  "  laughed  Rosie,  "  the 
captain  forbids  Christmas-gift  making  for  us 
younger  ones,  and  I'm  mighty  glad  grandpa 
forbids  it  to  you.  '  Misery  loves  company,'  you 
know." 

"  I  hope  my  Rosie  may  never  be  called  upon 
to  share  any  worse  misery,"  was  the  smiling  re 
joinder.  "Also  that  she  will  show  herself  as 
obedient  to  the  captain  as  I  intend  to  be  to  her 
kind,  loving  grandpa — so  tenderly  careful  of  his 
daughter,"  with  a  fond  look  up  into  the  face  of 
her  father,  standing  by  her  side. 

"As  he  may  well  be,  for  she  is  a  treasure 
worth  guarding,"  he  said,  returning  her  look  of 
love.  "  Rosie,  when  does  the  captain  propose 
beginning  his  labors  as  tutor  ?  " 

"  Next  Monday  morning,  grandpa ;  so  we 
want  to  crowd  all  the  fun  and  diversion  we  can 
into  to-day  and  to-morrow." 

"  Ah,  we  must  select  a  schoolroom  and  furnish 
it  with  whatever  mayjbe  necessary  ! "  exclaimed 
Violet. 

"  Yes,"  her  mother  said  ;  "  the  room  used  for 
that  purpose  when  you  were  a  very  little  girl 
will  answer  nicely.  Its  desks  were  sent  to  the 
attic  when  no  longer  needed.  You  might  order 
them  brought  down  to-day,  the  room  swept  and 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  275 

dusted,  and  whatever  else  done  that  is  necessary 
or  desirable,  so  that  it  will  be  quite  ready  for 
occupation  on  Monday." 

"  Thank  you,  mamma  ;  I  will  have  it  attended 
to  at  once,"  Violet  replied,  and  hastened  away, 
Rosie  running  after  her  with  a  "  Come  girls, 
let  us  go  and  see  the  room  and  find  out  whether 
it  has  a  closet  for  the  captain  to  shut  us  up  in 
when  we  misbehave." 

"  I  don't  believe  he'll  use  it  if  it  has,"  laughed 
Lulu,  rather  enjoying  Rosie's  fun,  "  for  he  has 
never  punished  any  of  us — his  own  children — in 
that  way." 

"  Still  there  is  no  knowing  but  he  may  take  a 
new  departure,  now,  when  he's  going  to  have  so 
distinguished  a  pupil  as  myself,"  pursued  Rosie, 
dancing  down  the  hall  with  the  others  close  in 
her  rear. 

They  followed  Violet  to  the  room  Grandma 
Elsie  had  spoken  of,  and  found  it  large  and  airy, 
with  windows  down  to  the  floor, — opening  out 
upon  the  veranda  on  that  side  of  the  house, — the 
walls  prettily  papered  and  adorned  with  good 
pictures,  handsomely  framed  ;  the  floor  covered 
with  fine  matting,  furniture  handsome,  a  pretty 
clock  and  vases  on  the  mantel.  On  one  side  of 
that  was  a  door  to  which  Rosie  flew  and,  throw 
ing  it  wide  open,  brought  to  view  a  large  closet. 

"  There  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  didn't  I  tell  you, 
girls  and  Walter  ? "  for  he  was  in  the  company 


276  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

by  that  time,  "  here's  the  place  of  incarceration 
for  those  who  shall  dare  to  disobey  Captain 
Raymond.  I  for  one  shall  certainly  try  to  be 
have  my  prettiest,  for  I  wouldn't  like  to  be  shut 
up  in  the  dark." 

"  Well,  it  appears  to  me  that  you  are  more 
likely  to  come  to  it  than  any  of  the  rest  of  us," 
observed  AY  alter  quietly,  as  he  turned  on  his 
heel  and  walked  away. 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  the  like  ?  "  cried  Rosie, 
ppening  her  eyes  very  wide  in  pretended  aston 
ishment. 

"  What's  all  this  ?  "  asked  a  familiar  voice  at 
the  door,  and  turning  at  the  sound  they  saw 
Captain  Raymond  standing  there,  looking  very 
grave  and  slightly  reproving,  but  with  a  per 
ceptible  twinkle  of  fun  in  his  eyes. 

"  We  were  just  looking  at  the  closet  you  are 
going  to  use  for  the  incarceration  of  the  naughty 
ones,  for  this  is  to  be  your  schoolroom,  you  see, 
sir,"  returned  Rosie  demurely. 

"  And  you  expect  to  enjoy  a  sojourn  there  ?  " 
he  queried,  coming  forward  and  himself  taking 
a  survey  of  the  interior.  "It  strikes  me  it 
would  suit  better  as  a  receptacle  for  school- 
books  and  the  like." 

"  So  it  would,"  she  said,  with  a  sigh  of  pre 
tended  relief  ;  "  and  we,  your  pupils  that  are  to 
^^will  venture  to  hope  that  you  will  see  best 
eo  devote  it  to  that  use." 


ELSIE'S   VACATION'.  277 

**  A  hope  in  which  you  will  not  be  disap 
pointed,  I  trust,"  he  replied,  in  a  kindly  tone, 
and  laying  a  hand  lightly  upon  her  shoulder. 

"  There  girls  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  you  may 
thank  me  for  extracting  such  a  promise  before 
hand.  I  do  really  believe  his  honor  intends  to 
treat  us  well  if  we  are  reasonably  wrell  behaved.'* 

"  And  the  rest  of  us  are  quite  sure  of  it," 
added  Evelyn,  with  a  bright  look  up  into  the 
captain's  face. 

"  Thank  you  for  your  confidence,  my  dear," 
he  returned.  "  I  have  little  doubt  that  we  will 
have  pleasant  times  together  in  this  very  pleas 
ant  room." 

A  little  more  time  was  spent  in  examining 
the  room  and  commenting  upon  its  beauties  and 
conveniences  ;  then  they  went  back  to  the 
veranda  to  find  that  the  sun  had  begun  to 
peep  through  the  clouds. 

So  carriages  were  ordered  and  all  took  a  drire 
through  the  beautiful  woods. 

The  afternoon  was  spent  in  boating  and  fish 
ing,  the  evening  in  the  veranda,  where  they  were 
joined  by  their  relatives  from  Magnolia  Hall 
and  the  parsonage. 

The  manner  in  which  they  would  spend  the 
approaching  Christmas  and  New  Year's  Day 
fvas  the  principal  subject  of  conversation,  and 
the  young  folks  were  particularly  interested  in 


278  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

listening  to  the  plans  made  or  suggested,  and 
well  satisfied  with  the  proposed  arrangement 
that  the  cousins  should  spend  the  first  at  Via- 
mede,  all  gather  at  Magnolia  Hall  for  their  New 
Year's  dinner,  and  pass  the  evening  of  that  day 
at  the  parsonage. 

Lulu  had  a  talk  with  her  father  in  her  own 
room  at  bedtime,  that  made  her  feel  very  happy 
and  entirely  content  with  his  prohibition  of  the 
making  of  gifts. 

He  told  her  that  she  and  Grace  might  each 
make  out  a  list  of  the  articles  they  would  like 
to  buy  to  present  to  others,  and  that  some  one, 
probably  Mr.  Embury — Cousin  Millie's  hus 
band — who  was  intending  to  pay  a  visit  of  a  few 
days  to  New  Orleans,  would  kindly  make  the 
purchases  for  them. 

"  Oh,  ;hat  will  do  nicely,  papa  ! "  she  ex- 
claimed  delightedly,  "and  Gracie  and  I  might 
make  out  our  lists  to-morrow  with  a  little  help 
from  our  dear  father,"  smiling  up  into  his  eyes. 

"  Yes,  dear  child,  I  will  gladly  give  you  both 
all  the  assistance  in  my  power,"  he  replied, 
softly  smoothing  her  hair,  for  she  was — as 
usual  at  such  times — sitting  upon  his  knee  ;  "  and 
not  with  advice  only,"  he  continued,  "  but  also 
by  adding  something  to  your  means  for  carry 
ing  out  your  wishes." 

"  Oh,  you  dear  papa,  you  are  just  the  kindest 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  2^9 

father  that  ever  was  made  ! "  she  cried,  in  an 
ecstasy  of  delight,  and  hugging  him  with  all  her 
strength. 

"  Ah,  but  if  you  choke  me  to  death,"  he  said 
laughingly,  "  I  can  do  nothing  for  you." 

"  Oh,  papa,  please  excuse  me  ! "  she  exclaimed, 
relaxing  her  hold.  "  Did  I  hurt  you  ?  oh,  I  am 
very,  very  sorry  !  " 

"  Not  much  ;  I  could  stand  it  very  well,"  he 
returned,  giving  her  a  hug  and  kiss.  "  But  now 
I  must  leave  you  to  go  to  bed  and  to  sleep. ** 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THERE  was  a  decided  downpour  of  rain  the 
next  morning,  but  no  one  minded  that  very 
much,  as  the  necessity  for  staying  within  doors 
gave  tune  and  opportunity  for  further  arrange 
ments  in  regard  to  Christmas  and  the  gifts  to 
be  presented. 

The  captain  kindly  devoted  an  hour  or  more 
to  helping  his  little  girls  to  decide  upon  theirs 
and  make  out  a  list  ;  Mr.  Embury,  and  Molly 
and  Isadore,  who  were  intending  to  accompany 
him  to  the  city,  having  kindly  offered  to  make 
any  purchases  desired  by  the  Yiamede  rela 
tives. 

At  the  same  time  the  others,  older  and  younger, 
were  similarly  engaged,  and  there  were  many 
little  private  chats  as  they  gathered  in  twos  and 
threes  here  and  there  about  the  veranda  or  in 
the  rooms. 

In  the  afternoon  Violet  invited  the  whole 
party  to  inspect  the  schoolroom,  where  some  of 
the  servants  had  been  busy,  under  her  direction, 
all  the  morning,  giving  it  a  thorough  cleaning, 
draping  the  windows  with  fresh  lace  curtains, 
looped  back  with  blue  ribbons,  and  placing  a 

880 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  281 

desk  for  each  expected  pupil,  and  a  neat  table 
for  the  teacher. 

Every  one  pronounced  it  a  model  schoolroom, 
some  of  the  older  people  adding  that  it  made 
them  almost  wish  themselves  young  enough  to 
again  be  busy  with  lessons  and  recitations. 

"  Where's  your  ferule,  Brother  Levis  ?  "  asked 
Rosie,  facetiously,  after  a  close  scrutiny  of  the 
table,  not  omitting  its  drawer. 

"  I  think  you  have  not  made  a  thorough 
examination  of  the  closet  yet,"  was  his  non 
committal  reply. 

"'Oh,  that's  where  you  keep  it?  I  say 

girls "  in  a  loud  whisper,  perfectly  audible  to 

everyone  in  the  room,  "  let's  carry  it  off  before 
he  has  a  chance  to  use  it." 

"  Hardly  worth  while,  since  it  would  be  no 
difficult  matter  to  replace  it,"  remarked  the 
captain,  with  assumed  gravity  and  stern 
ness. 

"  Ah,  then  I  suppose  one  may  as  well  be 
resigned  to  circumstances,"  sighed  Rosie,  fol 
lowing  the  others  from  the  room. 

"  Papa,  can  I  help  you  ?  "  asked  Lulu,  seeing 
him  seat  himself  at  the  table  in  the  library,  take 
out  writing  materials  from  its  drawer,  and  dip  a 
pen  into  the  ink. 

"  No,  thank  you,  daughter,"  he  replied.  "  I 
am  going  to  write  to  Max." 

*  Please  tell  him  we  are  all  ever  so  sorry  he 


282  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

can't  "be  here  to  spend  Christmas  and  New 
Year's  with  us." 

"I  will." 

"And  he  can't  have  the  pleasure  of  giving 
any  gifts  I  suppose,  as  they  allow  him  so  little 
pocket  money  !  " 

"Dear  boy  !  he  shall  not  miss  that  pleasure 
entirely,"  said  the  captain.  "  I  am  going  now 
to  write  to  him  that  I  will  set  apart  a  certain 
sum  for  his  use  in  the  purchase  of  gifts  for 
others.  That  is,  he  may  tell  me  what  he  would 
like  to  give,  and  I  will  see  that  the  articles  are 
bought  and  distributed  as  he  wishes." 

"  Oh,  what  a  nice  plan,  papa  !  I  am  sure 
Maxie  will  be  very  glad." 

"  Yes,  I  do  it  with  the  hope  of  giving  pleasure 
to  my  dear  boy.  And  besides  that  I  shall  tell 
him  that  he  may  again  choose  some  benevolent 
object  to  which  I  will  give,  in  his  name,  a 
thousand  dollars.  You  too,  and  Gracie,  shall 
have  the  same  privilege." 

"  Just  as  we  all  had  last  year.  Oh,  papa,  it  is 
so  good  and  kind  in  you  !  " 

"  That  is  the  opinion  of  my  very  partial  little 
daughter,"  he  returned,  with  a  smile.  "  But, 
daughter,  as  I  have  often  told  you,  the  money  is 
the  Lord's,  and  I  am  only  his  steward." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  she  said,  and  walked  thoughtfully 
away. 

By  the   middle  of  the    afternoon  the  rain 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  283 

eeemed  to  be  over  and  a  row  on  the  bayou  waa 
enjoyed  by  the  most  of  the  party  ;  all  who  cared 
logo. 

Music  and  conversation  made  the  evening 
pass  quickly  and  pleasantly,  and  all  retired  to 
their  .rooms  at  an  early  hour  that  they  might 
rise  refreshed  for  the  duties  and  privileges  of 
the  Lord's  day. 

It  was  spent,  as  former  ones  had  been,  attend 
ing  church  and  the  pastor's  Bible  class  in  the 
morning,  and  holding  a  similar  service  on  the 
lawn  at  Viamede  in  the  afternoon. 

In  addressing  that  little  congregation  the 
captain  tried  to  make  the  way  of  salvation  very 
clear  and  plain. 

"  It  is  just  to  come  to  Jesus  as  you  are,"  he 
said  ;  "  not  waiting  to  make  yourself  any  better, 
for  you  never  can  ;  he  alone  can  do  that  work  } 
it  is  his  blood  that  cleanses  from  all  sin  ;  his 
righteousness  that  is  perfect,  and  therefore 
acceptable  to  God  ;  while  all  our  righteousnesses 
are  as  filthy  rags,  stained  and  defiled  with  sin. 

"  Concerning  him — the  only  begotten  and  well 
beloved  Son  of  God — the  Bible  tells  us, '  He  is 
able  to  save  them  unto  the  uttermost  that  come 
unto  God  by  him.' 

"  *  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin.' 

"  And  he  says,  *  Him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will 
in  no  wise  cast  out.' 


284  XLSI*  S   VACATION. 

" '  This  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that 
every  one  who  seeth  the  Son,  and  believeth  on 
him,  may  have  everlasting  life  ;  and  I  will  raise 
him  up  at  the  last  day.' 

"  Just  go  to  Jesus  each  one  of  you,  give  your 
self  to  him  and  believe  his  word — that  he  will 
not  cast  you  out  ;  he  will  receive  you  and  make 
you  his  own  ;  giving  you  of  his  spirit,  changing 
you  from  the  poor  sinner  you  are,  by  nature,  into 
his  image,  his  likeness." 

At  the  conclusion  of  that  service  Lulu  and 
Grace  recited  their  Bible  verses  and  catechism 
to  their  father. 

The  evening  was  spent  in  conversation  and 
music  suited  to  the  sacredness  of  the  day,  and 
all  retired  to  rest. 

Nine  o'clock  of  the  next  morning  found  the 
girls  and  Walter  seated  in  the  schoolroom. 
Lulu  and  Grace  busied  with  their  tasks,  the 
others  ready  and  waiting  to  have  theirs  appointed 
by  the  captain. 

School  that  day  was  a  decided  success,  and 
Rosie  pretended  that  her  fears  of  the  new  teacher 
were  greatly  allayed. 

Between  that  and  Christmas-time  everything 
moved  along  smoothly  ;  studies  were  well  at 
tended  to,  sports  and  pastimes  greatly  enjoyed. 

The  celebration  of  the  holidays — Christmas 
and  New  Year's — also  proved  a  great  success. 
There  were  many  and  beautiful  gifts  ;  a  hand* 


ELSIE'S   VACATION.  285 

some  brooch  from  the  captain  delighted  each 
little  girl,  and  there  were  other  lovely  gifts  too 
numerous  to  mention. 

The  distribution  was  on  Christmas  Eve.  The 
next  day  there  was  a  grand  dinner  at  Viamede, 
all  the  relatives  present,  and  everybody  in  gayest 
spirits. 

The  day  was  bright  and  beautiful,  seeming  but 
little  like  Christmas  to  those  accustomed  to  frost 
and  snow  at  that  season. 

New  Year's  day  was  not  less  lovely,  nor  wera 
its  festivities  less  enjoyable,  though  the  gifts 
were  fewer. 

The  holidays  past,  the  young  folks  went  back 
with  zest  to  their  studies,  Rosie  saying  she  was 
now  convinced  that  Captain  Raymond  was  an 
excellent  teacher,  and  not  at  all  inclined  to  tyr 
annize  over  a  well-behaved  pupil ;  for  which 
complimentary  expression  of  opinion  he  gravely 
thanked  her. 

"  You  are  very  welcome,  sir,"  she  said,  "  and 
may  depend  upon  a  recommendation  from  m* 
whenever  it  is  wanted." 

"  O  Rosie,  how  ridiculous  you  are  ! n  ex 
claimed  Walter, 

But  Rosie  was  already  out  of  the  room,  the 
other  girls  following.  They  went  out  on  the 
lawn,  ran  about  for  a  while,  then  settled  them- 
selves  mder  a  tree  and  began  cracking  and  eating 
nuts. 


286  ELSIE'S   VACATION, 

Lulu,  who  was  very  fond  of  them,  presently 
put  one  between  her  teeth  and  cracked  it  there. 

"  O  Lu  !  "  exclaimed  Grace,  "  you  forget 
that  papa  forbade  you  to  crack  nuts  with  your 
teeth,  for  fear  you  might  break  them." 

"  Well,  I  Avanted  to  break  the  nut,"  returned 
Lulu,  laughing,  and  blushing  because  her  con 
science  reproached  her. 

"  I  meant  break  your  teeth,"  said  Grace.  "  I'm 
eure  you  wouldn't  have  done  it — cracked  the  nut 
with  them,  I  mean — if  you  hadn't  forgotten  that 
papa  forbade  you  to  do  it." 

"  No,  Gracie,  I'm  not  so  good  as  you  think  ; 
I  did  not  forget ;  I  just  did  it  because  I  wanted 
to,"  Lulu  said  with  an  evident  effort,  and  blush 
ing  again. 

Then  she  sprang  up  and  ran  toward  her 
father,  who  was  seen  at  some  little  distance,  com. 
ing  from  the  orange  orchard  toward  the  house. 

"  I  do  believe  she's  going  to  tell  on  herself  ! " 
exclaimed  Rosie,  in  astonishment. 

"  Oh,  dear,  I  wonder  what  papa  will  do  to 
her  ! "  exclaimed  Grace,  just  ready  to  burst  into 
tears. 

"  It  is  very  noble  in  her  to  go  and  confess  at 
once,  when  he  needn't  have  ever  known  anything 
about  it,"  cried  Eva  admiringly. 

They  were  all  three  watching  Lulu  and  her 
father  with  intense  interest,  though  too  far  away 
to  hear  anything  that  either  one  might  say. 


ELSIE'S   VACATION,  287 

Lulu  drew  near  him,  hanging  her  head  shame- 
facedly.  "  Papa,"  she  said,  in  a  low,  remorse 
ful  tone,  "  I  have  just  been  disobeying  you." 

"  Ah  !  I  am  sorry,  very  sorry,  to  hear  it,  daugh 
ter,"  he  returned  a  little  sadly  ;  then,  taking  her 
hand,  led  her  away  further  from  the  house  and 
seated  her  and  himself  on  a  bench  beneath  a 
group  of  trees  that  entirely  hid  them  from  view. 

"  Tell  me  the  whole  story,  my  child,"  he  said, 
not  unkindly,  and  still  keeping  her  hand  in  his. 

"  I  cracked  a  nut  with  my  teeth,  papa,"  she  re« 
plied,  with  her  eyes  upon  the  ground,  her  cheek 
hot  with  blushes, 

"  You  forgot  that  I  had  forbidden  it  ?" 

"  No,  papa,  I  haven't  even  that  poor  excuse, 
I  remembered  all  the  time  that  you  had  forbid« 
den  me,  but  just  did  it  because  I  wanted  to." 

"  Though  I  had  given  you  my  reason  for  the 
prohibition — that  you  would  risk  serious  damage 
to  your  teeth,  and  probably  suffer  both  pain  and 
the  loss  of  those  useful  members  in  consequence. 
It  gives  me  pain  to  find  that  my  dear  eldest 
daughter  cares  so  little  for  her  father's  wishes 
or  commands." 

At  that  Lulu  burst  into  tears  and  sobs.  "  Oh, 
I  hope  you'll  punish  me  well  for  it,  papa  !  "  she 
said.  "  I  deserve  it,  and  I  think  it  would  dome 
good." 

"  I  must  indeed  punish  you  for  conduct  so  de 
cidedly  rebellious,"  he  replied.  "  I  will  either 


288  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

forbid  nuts  for  a  week,  or  refrain  from  giving 
you  a  caress  for  the  same  length  of  time.  "Which 
ehallitbe?" 

"  O  papa,  I'd  rather  do  without  nuts  for  the 
rest  of  the  winter  than  a  whole  week  without  a 
caress  from  you  !  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  Very  well,  then,"  he  said,  bending  down  and 
touching  his  lips  to  her  cheek.  "  I  forbid  the 
nuts,  and  I  think  I  can  trust  my  daughter  to 
obey  me  by  not  touching  one  till  she  has  her 
father's  permission." 

"  I  feel  sure  I  will,  papa,"  she  said  ;  "  but  if  I 
should  be  so  very  bad  as  to  disobey  you  again 
in  this,  I  will  come  to  you,  confess  it,  and  take 
my  punishment  without  a  word  of  objection." 

"I  have  no  doubt  of  it,  daughter,"  he 
returned,  taking  her  hand  again  and  leading 
her  back  to  the  house. 

The  other  girls  were  awaiting  with  intense 
interest  the  reappearance  of  the  captain  and 
Lulu. 

"  Here  they  come  ! "  exclaimed  Rosie,  "  and 
I  don't  believe  he  1ms  punished  her  ;  there  has 
hardly  been  time,  and  though  she  looks  very 
sober — he,  too — she  doesn't  look  at  all  fright' 
ened  ;  nor  does  he  look  angry,  and  he  holds  her 
hand  in  what  strikes  me  as  a  very  affectionate 
way." 

u  Yes,"  said  Evelyn,  "  I  think  the  captain  is 
as  jood  and  kind  a  father  as  anyone  could 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  289 

desire  ;  and  I'm  sure.  Lulu's  opinion  of  him  is 
the  same." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  assented  Grace  heartily,  as  she 
wiped  the  tears  from  her  eyes,  "  there  couldn't 
be  a  better,  kinder  father  than  ours,  Lulu  and  I 
both  think  ;  but  though  he  dosen't  like  to  pun 
ish  us,  sometimes  he  feels  that  it's  his  duty  to 
do  it  to  make  us  good." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  get,  or  need,  punishment 
very  often,  Qracie,"  remarked  Rosie;  "you  are 
as  good  as  gold  ;  at  least  so  it  seems  to  me." 

"I'm  not  perfect,  Rosie;  oh,  no,  indeed!" 
Gracie  answered  earnestly;  "  but  papa  almost- 
never  does  anything  more  than  talk  in  a  grave, 
kind  way  to  me  about  my  faults." 

By  this  time  the  captain  and  Lulu  had  drawn 
near  the  house,  and,  letting  go  her  hand,  "  You 
may  go  back  to  your  mates  now,  daughter,"  he 
said  in  a  kindly  tone.  "I  have  some  matters 
to  attend  to,  and  if  you  have  anything  more  to 
gay  to  me  I  will  hear  it  at  another  time." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Lulu,  and  went  slowly 
toward  the  little  group  under  the  tree,  while  her 
father  passed  round  to  the  other  side  of  the 
house. 

"  He  was  not  very  much  vexed  with  you,  Lu, 
was  he  ?  "  queried  Rosie,  in  a  kindly  inquiring 
tone,  as  Lulu  joined  them,  looking  grave  and  a 
trifle  sad,  while  traces  of  tears  could  be  discerned 
on  her  cheeks  and  about  her  eyes, 


290  ELSIE'S  VACATION. 

"  Papa  only  seemed  sorry  that — that  I  could 
be  so  disobedient,"  faltered  the  little  girl,  tears 
starting  to  her  eyes  again;  "but  he  always 
punishes  disobedience, — which  is  just  what  he 
ought  to  do,  I  am  sure, — and  he  has  forbidden  me 
to  eat  any  more  nuts  for  a  week.  I  chose  that 
rather  than  doing  without  a  caress  from  him  for 
the  same  length  of  time.  So  you  see  he  was 
not  very  severe ;  not  half  so  severe  as  I  deserved 
that  he  should  be." 

The  others  agreed  with  her  that  it  was  but  a 
light  punishment ;  then  they  began  talking  of 
something  else. 

Nuts  were  a  part  of  the  dessert  that  day,  and 
Lulu,  sitting  near  her  father,  asked  in  a  low 
aside,  "  Papa,  mayn't  I  pick  out  some  kernels  for 
you?" 

"  If  you  wish,  daughter,"  he  answered  ;  and 
she  performed  the  little  service  with  evident 
pleasure. 

"  Thank  you,  dear  child,"  he  said,  with  a 
loving  look  and  smile  as  she  handed  them  to 
him.  Speaking  of  it  to  Violet  that  night  in  the 
privacy  of  their  own  room,  "I  found  it  hard  to 
take  and  eat  them  without  sharing  with  her, 
the  dear,  affectionate  child  !  "  he  said,  with  feel 
ing,  "  but  I  knew  it  gave  her  pleasure  to  do  her 
father  that  little  service.  Ah,  it  is  so  much 
pleasanter  to  fondle  and  indulge  one's  children 
than  to  reprove  or  punish  them  1  yet  I  am  sure 


ELSIE'S  VACATION.  291 

it  is  the  truest  kindness  to  train  them  to  obedi 
ence,  as  the  Bible  directs." 

"  Yes,"  returned  Violet,  "  and  I  have  often 
noticed  that  those  parents  who  do  follow  that 
Bible  teaching  are  more  loved  and  respected  by 
their  children  than  the  foolishly  indulgent  ones. 
And,  by  the  way,  how  devotedly  fond  of  her 
father  Lulu  is  !  It  delights  me  to  see  it." 

"  Me  also,  my  dear,"  he  returned,  with  a 
pleased  little  laugh.  "  I  doubt  if  any  man  ever 
had  be-tter,  dearer  children — speaking  of  the 
whole  five  together — than  mine.  Nor  can  I 
believe  that  ever  a  father  esteemed  his  greater 
treasures  than  I  do  mine." 

The  rest  of  the  winter  passed  quietly  and 
peacefully  to  our  friends  at  Viamede,  the  young 
folks  making  good  wt>gresf»  with  their  studies, 
the  older  ones  finan^o  «?Kii3ioyment  in  various 
ways — the  ladies  in  reading,  writing  letters, 
overseeing  house  and  servants,  and  making  and 
receiving  visits;  Mr.  Dinsmore  in  much  the  same 
manner,  except  that  he  gave  himself  no  concern 
about  domestic  affairs  ;  while  the  captain  found 
full  employment  in  instructing  his  pupils 
and  superintending  work  on  the  plantation ; 
but  with  time  enough  to  spare  for  participa 
tion  in  the  diversions  and  recreations  of  the 
others. 

Grandma  Elsie  had  entirely  recovered  her 
health,  and  as  spring  opened  they  began  to  talk 


292  ELSIE'S   VACATION. 

of  returning  to  their  more  northern  homes,  yet 
continued  to  tarry,  looking  for  a  visit  to  Via- 
mede  from  the  dear  ones  of  Ion  and  Fairview. 

And  here  at  beautiful  Viamede  we  will  leave 
iiiem  for  the  present. 


TBB  VIM. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


JUL1 


1957 


Form  L9-25m-9,'47(A5618)444 


PS 

1672 


